Guenon
Genus of Old World monkeys
The guenons (UK: /ɡəˈnɒnz/, US: /ˈɡwɛn.ənz/) are Old World monkeys of the genus Cercopithecus (/ˌsɜːrkəˈpɪθəkəs/). Not all members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names, mona monkeys, blue monkeys, De Brazza's monkeys, and Diana monkeys are all guenons.
Members of the genus are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, and most are forest monkeys. Many of the species are quite local in their ranges, and some have even more local subspecies. Many are threatened or endangered because of habitat loss.
Guenons are sexually dimorphic, with males nearly twice the size of females. Most animals live in one-male groups, though males may live alone or spread out in bachelor groups.
01Classification
The genus name Cercopithecus comes from Ancient Greek κέρκος (kérkos), meaning "tail", and πίθηκος (píthēkos), meaning "ape". It was named by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
Because of changes in scientific classification, some monkeys previously included in this genus are no longer. Vervet monkeys and green monkeys, for example, were formerly considered as a single species in this genus (Cercopithecus aethiops) but are currently in the genus Chlorocebus.
In the English language, the word "guenon" is apparently of French origin. In French, guenon was the common name for all species and individuals, both males and females, from the genus Cercopithecus. In all other monkey and apes species, the French word guenon designates only the females. The three species such as the L'hoest's monkey, Preuss's monkey and the sun-tailed monkey were formerly included in the genus and now listed in a different genus Allochrocebus.
02Species list
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue monkey | C. mitis Wolf, 1822 Sixteen subspecies
|
Sub-Saharan Africa |
Size: 31-70 cm (12-28 in) long, plus 55-109 cm (22-43 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Fruit and leaves, as well as invertebrates |
LC Unknown |
| Campbell's mona monkey | C. campbelli Waterhouse, 1838 |
Western Africa |
Size: 36-55 cm (14-22 in) long, plus 49-85 cm (19-33 in) tail Habitat: Forest, savanna, and shrubland Diet: Fruit, leaves, seeds and grains, as well as birds, bird eggs, small reptiles, and insects |
NT Unknown |
| Crested mona monkey | C. pogonias Bennett, 1833 Three subspecies
|
Central Africa |
Size: 34-55 cm (13-22 in) long, plus 48-87 cm (19-34 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Fruit and seeds, as well as leaves, flowers and insects |
NT Unknown |
| De Brazza's monkey | C. neglectus Schlegel, 1876 |
Central Africa |
Size: 39-60 cm (15-24 in) long, plus 47-79 cm (19-31 in) tail Habitat: Inland wetlands and forest Diet: Fruit, as well as leaves, flowers, mushrooms, beetles, termites, and worms |
LC Unknown |
| Dent's mona monkey | C. denti Thomas, 1907 |
Central Africa |
Size: 40-70 cm (16-28 in) long, plus 70-90 cm (28-35 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Fruit and arthropods, as well as flowers, caterpillars, shoots, and leaves |
LC Unknown |
| Diana monkey | C. diana (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Western Africa |
Size: 40-55 cm (16-22 in) long, plus 50-75 cm (20-30 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Fruit, flowers, leaves, insects, and other invertebrates |
EN Unknown |
| Greater spot-nosed monkey | C. nictitans (Linnaeus, 1766) Five subspecies
|
Western Africa |
Size: 40-57 cm (16-22 in) long, plus 56-100 cm (22-39 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Fruits and seeds, as well as leaves and insects |
NT Unknown |
| Hamlyn's monkey | C. hamlyni Pocock, 1907 Two subspecies
|
Central Africa |
Size: 43-63 cm (17-25 in) long, plus 49-63 cm (19-25 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Shoots, leaves, plants, and herbs, as well as fruit and seeds |
VU Unknown |
| Lesser spot-nosed monkey | C. petaurista (Schreber, 1774) Two subspecies
|
Western Africa |
Size: 29-53 cm (11-21 in) long, plus 57-78 cm (22-31 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Fruit as well as insects |
NT Unknown |
| Lesula | C. lomamiensis Hart et al., 2012 |
Central Africa |
Size: 40-65 cm (16-26 in) long, plus 40-65 cm (16-26 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Leaves, fruits and flowers |
VU Unknown |
| Lowe's mona monkey | C. lowei Thomas, 1923 |
Western Africa (in green) |
Size: 36-55 cm (14-22 in) long, plus 54-85 cm (21-33 in) tail Habitat: Forest and savanna Diet: Fruit and insects |
VU 10,000 |
| Mona monkey | C. mona (Schreber, 1774) |
Western Africa |
Size: 32-53 cm (13-21 in) long, plus 67-90 cm (26-35 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Fruit, sprouts, leaves, and invertebrates |
NT Unknown |
| Moustached guenon | C. cephus (Linnaeus, 1758) Three subspecies
|
Western Africa |
Size: 44-60 cm (17-24 in) long, plus 66-99 cm (26-39 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Fruit, as well as seeds, leaves, insects, and eggs |
LC Unknown |
| Red-eared guenon | C. erythrotis Waterhouse, 1838 Two subspecies
|
Western Africa |
Size: 36-55 cm (14-22 in) long, plus 46-77 cm (18-30 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Fruit, as well as leaves, shoots and arthropods |
VU Unknown |
| Red-tailed monkey | C. ascanius (Audebert, 1799) Five subspecies
|
Central Africa |
Size: 34-55 cm (13-22 in) long, plus 67-92 cm (26-36 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Fruit, as well as leaves, insects, flowers, buds, and tree gum |
LC Unknown |
| Roloway monkey | C. roloway (Schreber, 1774) |
Western Africa |
Size: 44-62 cm (17-24 in) long, plus 70-91 cm (28-36 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Insects, as well as seeds, fruit, and leaves |
CR Unknown |
| Sclater's guenon | C. sclateri Pocock, 1904 |
Western Africa |
Size: 32-38 cm (13-15 in) long, plus 61-85 cm (24-33 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Fruit, as well as insects, flowers and leaves |
EN Unknown |
| White-throated guenon | C. erythrogaster Gray, 1866 Two subspecies
|
Western Africa |
Size: 38-46 cm (15-18 in) long, plus 58-70 cm (23-28 in) tail Habitat: Forest and inland wetlands Diet: Fruit |
EN Unknown |
| Wolf's mona monkey | C. wolfi Meyer, 1891 Three subspecies
|
Central Africa | Size: 44-52 cm (17-20 in) long, plus 69-83 cm (27-33 in) tail Habitat: Forest Diet: Fruit, leaves, seeds, and flowers |
NT Unknown |
Hybrids
The red-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius) is known to hybridize with the blue monkey (C. mitis) in several locations in the wild in Africa.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Guenon”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
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