The guenons (, ) are

Old World monkey Old World monkey is the common English name for a family of primates known taxonomically as the Cercopithecidae (). Twenty-four genera and 138 species are recognized, making it the largest primate family. Old World monkey genera include baboons ...

s of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

''Cercopithecus'' (). Not all members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names; also, because of changes in

scientific classification Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

, some monkeys in other genera may have common names that include the word "guenon". Nonetheless, the use of the term guenon for monkeys of this genus is widely accepted. All members of the genus are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

, and most are forest monkeys. Many of the species are quite local in their ranges, and some have even more local

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

. Many are threatened or endangered because of

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. The species currently placed in the genus '' Chlorocebus'', such as

vervet monkey The vervet monkey (''Chlorocebus pygerythrus''), or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus ''Chlorocebus''. The five distinct ...

s and

green monkey The green monkey (''Chlorocebus sabaeus''), also known as the sabaeus monkey, is an Old World monkey with golden-green fur and pale hands and feet. The tip of the tail is golden yellow as are the backs of the thighs and cheek whiskers. It does n ...

s, were formerly considered as a single species in this genus, ''Cercopithecus aethiops''. In the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

, 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'' only designates the females. The 3 species such as the

L'hoest's monkey L'Hoest's monkey (''Allochrocebus lhoesti'') or mountain monkey, is a guenon found in the upper eastern Congo basin. They mostly live in mountainous forest areas in small, female-dominated groups. They have a dark coat and can be distinguishe ...

Preuss's monkey The Preuss's monkey (''Allochrocebus preussi''), also known as Preuss's guenon, is a diurnal primate that lives terrestrially in mountainous (up to 2500 m) forests of eastern Nigeria, western Cameroon and Bioko in Equatorial Guinea. It was form ...

and the

sun-tailed monkey The sun-tailed monkey (''Allochrocebus solatus'') from Gabon is one of the least studied primates in its habitat. It was discovered as a new species in 1988, and is classified as a guenon, which is a member of the genus ''Cercopithecus'', but was ...

were formerly included in the genus and now listed in a different genus ''

Allochrocebus ''Allochrocebus'' is a primate genus including the terrestrial guenons: the L'Hoest's monkey, the Preuss's monkey, and the sun-tailed monkey. Taxonomy & systematics Formerly included in genus ''Cercopithecus'', the three species of terrestrial g ...

Species list

Genus ''Cercopithecus'' Guenons in primate reserve Sanctuary Mefou

* ''C. diana'' group ** Diana monkey, ''Cercopithecus diana'' **

Roloway monkey The Roloway monkey (''Cercopithecus roloway'') is an endangered species of Old World monkey endemic to tropical West Africa. It was previously considered a subspecies of the Diana monkey (''C. diana''). The species is classified as Critically End ...

, ''Cercopithecus roloway'' * ''C. mitis'' group **

Greater spot-nosed monkey The greater spot-nosed monkey or putty-nosed monkey (''Cercopithecus nictitans'') is one of the smallest Old World monkeys. It is a guenon of the '' C. mitis'' group, native to West Africa and living to some extent in rain forests, but more often ...

, ''Cercopithecus nictitans'' *** ''Cercopithecus nictitans nictitans'' *** Bioko putty-nosed guenon, ''Cercopithecus nictitans martini'' **

Blue monkey The blue monkey or diademed monkey (''Cercopithecus mitis'') is a species of Old World monkey native to Central and East Africa, ranging from the upper Congo River basin east to the East African Rift and south to northern Angola and Zambia. It ...

, ''Cercopithecus mitis'' *** Pluto monkey, ''Cercopithecus mitis mitis'' **

Silver monkey The silver monkey (''Cercopithecus doggetti'') is a species of Old World monkey found primarily in East Africa. Its range includes Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The silver monkey was previously consi ...

, ''Cercopithecus doggetti'' **

Golden monkey The golden monkey (''Cercopithecus kandti'') is a species of Old World monkey found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, including four national parks: Mgahinga, in south-west Uganda; Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda; and Vi ...

, ''Cercopithecus kandti'' **

Sykes' monkey Sykes' monkey (''Cercopithecus albogularis''), also known as the white-throated monkey or Samango monkey, is an Old World monkey found between Ethiopia and South Africa, including south and east Democratic Republic of Congo. It is named after Eng ...

, ''Cercopithecus albogularis'' ***Zanzibar Sykes' monkey, ''Cercopithecus albogularis albogularis'' *** Pousargues' Sykes' monkey, ''Cercopithecus albogularis albotorquatus'' *** ''Cercopithecus albogularis erythrarchus'' *** ''Cercopithecus albogularis francescae'' *** ''Cercopithecus albogularis kibonotensis'' *** ''Cercopithecus albogularis kolbi'' *** White-lipped monkey, ''Cercopithecus albogularis labiatus'' *** ''Cercopithecus albogularis moloneyi'' *** ''Cercopithecus albogularis monoides'' *** ''Cercopithecus albogularis phylax'' *** ''Cercopithecus albogularis schwarzi'' *** Zammarano's white-throated guenon, ''Cercopithecus albogularis zammaranoi'' * ''C. mona'' group **

Mona monkey The mona monkey (''Cercopithecus mona'') is an Old World monkey that lives in western Africa between Ghana and Cameroon. The mona monkey can also be found on the island of Grenada as it was transported to the island aboard slave ships headed to ...

, ''Cercopithecus mona'' **

Campbell's mona monkey Campbell's mona monkey (''Cercopithecus campbelli''), also known as Campbell's guenon and Campbell's monkey, is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae found in the Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, a ...

, ''Cercopithecus campbelli'' **

Lowe's mona monkey Lowe's mona monkey (''Cercopithecus lowei'') is an Old World monkey in the family Cercopithecidae found from the Ivory Coast to Ghana. It was previously classified as a subspecies of Campbell's mona monkey ''C. campbelli''. References Lowe' ...

, ''Cercopithecus lowei'' **

Crested mona monkey The crested mona monkey, also known as the crowned guenon, crowned monkey, golden-bellied guenon, or golden-bellied monkey, (''Cercopithecus pogonias''), is a species of African primate in the family Cercopithecidae found in west central Africa. ...

, ''Cercopithecus pogonias'' WLA hmns Crowned Guenon Cercopithecus pogonias

*** ''Cercopithecus pogonias pogonias'' *** ''Cercopithecus pogonias nigripes'' *** ''Cercopithecus pogonias grayi'' *** ''Cercopithecus pogonias schwarzianus'' **

Wolf's mona monkey Wolf's mona monkey (''Cercopithecus wolfi''), also called Wolf's guenon, is a colourful Old World monkey in the family Cercopithecidae. It is found in central Africa, primarily between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. It lives in ...

, ''Cercopithecus wolfi'' *** ''Cercopithecus wolfi wolfi'' *** ''Cercopithecus wolfi elegans'' **

Dent's mona monkey Dent's mona monkey (''Cercopithecus denti'') is an Old World monkey in the family Cercopithecidae found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Congo, Rwanda, western Uganda, and the Central African Republic. It was previously classified ...

, ''Cercopithecus denti'' * ''C. cephus'' group **

Lesser spot-nosed monkey The lesser spot-nosed monkey (''Cercopithecus petaurista''), also known as the lesser spot-nosed guenon, lesser white-nosed guenon, or lesser white-nosed monkey, is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, G ...

, ''Cercopithecus petaurista'' *** ''Cercopithecus petaurista petaurista'' *** ''Cercopithecus petaurista buettikoferi'' **

White-throated guenon The white-throated guenon (''Cercopithecus erythrogaster''), also known as the red-bellied monkey and the red-bellied guenon, is a diurnal primate that lives on trees of rainforests or tropical areas of Nigeria and Benin. The white-throated gue ...

, ''Cercopithecus erythrogaster'' **

Red-eared guenon The red-eared guenon (''Cercopithecus erythrotis''), also called red-eared monkey, or russet-eared guenon is a primate species in the family Cercopithecidae. It is native to subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests in Cameroon, Equatorial ...

, ''Cercopithecus erythrotis'' *** Bioko red-eared guenon, ''Cercopithecus erythrotis erythrotis'' *** ''Cercopithecus erythrotis camerunensis'' ** Moustached guenon, ''Cercopithecus cephus'' *** ''Cercopithecus cephus cephus'' *** ''Cercopithecus cephus cephodes'' *** Ngotto guenon, ''Cercopithecus cephus ngottoensis'' **

Red-tailed monkey The red-tailed monkey (''Cercopithecus ascanius''), also known as the black-cheeked white-nosed monkey, red-tailed guenon, redtail monkey, or Schmidt's guenon, is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae. It is found in Angola, Cameroo ...

, ''Cercopithecus ascanius'' *** ''Cercopithecus ascanius ascanius'' *** ''Cercopithecus ascanius atrinasus'' *** ''Cercopithecus ascanius whitesidei'' *** ''Cercopithecus ascanius katangae'' *** Schmidt's guenon, ''Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti'' **

Sclater's guenon Sclater's guenon (''Cercopithecus sclateri''), also known as Sclater's monkey and the Nigerian monkey, is an Old World monkey that was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1904 and named after Philip Sclater. It is an arboreal and diurnal ...

, ''Cercopithecus sclateri'' * ''C. hamlyni'' group **

Hamlyn's monkey The Hamlyn's monkey (''Cercopithecus hamlyni''), also known as the owl-faced monkey, is a species of Old World monkey that inhabits the bamboo and primary rainforests of the Congo. This species is exceedingly rare and known only from a few spec ...

, ''Cercopithecus hamlyni'' *** Owl-faced guenon, ''Cercopithecus hamlyni hamlyni'' *** Kahuzi owl-faced guenon, ''Cercopithecus hamlyni kahuziensis'' **

Lesula The lesula (''Cercopithecus lomamiensis'') is a species of Old World monkey in the guenon genus ''Cercopithecus'', found in the Lomami Basin of the Congo. Though known to locals, it was unknown to the international scientific community until i ...

, ''Cercopithecus lomamiensis'' * ''C. neglectus'' group **

De Brazza's monkey De Brazza's monkey (''Cercopithecus neglectus'') is an Old World monkey endemic to the riverine and swamp forests of central Africa. The largest species in the guenon family, it is one of the most widespread arboreal African primates. Aside from ...

, ''Cercopithecus neglectus''

Hybrids

The

red-tailed monkey The red-tailed monkey (''Cercopithecus ascanius''), also known as the black-cheeked white-nosed monkey, red-tailed guenon, redtail monkey, or Schmidt's guenon, is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae. It is found in Angola, Cameroo ...

(''Cercopithecus ascanius'') is known to hybridize with the

blue monkey The blue monkey or diademed monkey (''Cercopithecus mitis'') is a species of Old World monkey native to Central and East Africa, ranging from the upper Congo River basin east to the East African Rift and south to northern Angola and Zambia. It ...

(''C. mitis'') in several locations in the wild in Africa.

References

External links

*
Primate Info Net ''Cercopithecus'' Factsheets
{{Taxonbar, from=Q255571 01 Primates of Africa Cercopithecini