Kayan River Slow Loris

Open encyclopedia reference

The Kayan River slow loris (Nycticebus kayan) is a strepsirrhine primate and a species of slow loris that is native to the northern and central highland region of the island of Borneo. The species was originally thought to be a part of the Bornean slow loris (N. menagensis) population until 2013, when a study of museum specimens and photographs identified distinct facial markings, which helped to differentiate it. It is distinguished by the high contrast of its black and white facial features, as well as the shape and width of the stripes of its facial markings. The species is named after the Kayan River, which runs through its native habitat. As with other slow lorises, this arboreal and nocturnal species primarily eats insects, tree gum, nectar, and fruit and has a toxic bite, a unique feature among primates. N. kayan has been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as "Vulnerable".

Wikipedia contributors, Nycticebus kayan; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:31:05.319509+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Nycticebus kayan Munds, Nekaris & Ford, 2013

Name authority

Munds, Nekaris & Ford, 2013

Common name

Kayan River Slow Loris

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Primates

Family

Lorisidae

Genus

Nycticebus

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderPrimates Linnaeus, 1758
12. suborderStrepsirrhini É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812
13. infraorderLorisiformes Gregory, 1915
14. familyLorisidae Gray, 1821
15. subfamilyLorisinae Gray, 1821
16. genusNycticebus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812
17. speciesNycticebus kayan Munds, Nekaris & Ford, 2013

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Nycticebus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 15 records assigned to Lorisidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Munds, Rachel A., K. A. I. Nekaris, and Susan M. Ford. (2013). Taxonomy of the Bornean Slow Loris, with New Species Nycticebus kayan (Primates, Lorisidae). American Journal of Primatology, Vol. 75, No. 1. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:485JQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.