Red colobus

Red colobus[1]
Zanzibar red colobus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Cercopithecidae
Subfamily: Colobinae
Tribe: Colobini
Genus: Piliocolobus
Rochebrune, 1887[2][3]
Type species
Simia (Cercopithecus) badius
Kerr, 1792
Species

See text

Red colobuses are Old World monkeys of the genus Piliocolobus.[4] It was formerly considered a subgenus within the genus Procolobus, which is now restricted to the olive colobus.[1] They are closely related to the black-and-white colobus monkeys (genus Colobus), and some species are often found in groups with the blue monkey.[5] The western red colobus is frequently hunted by the common chimpanzee.[6]

The members of this genus are found in western, central and eastern Africa, and the species have largely allo- or parapatric distributions. They are primarily arboreal and most are restricted to humid forests, but the Zanzibar red colobus prefers coastal thickets and scrub. Red colobuses are highly sensitive to hunting and habitat destruction, and have been referred to as probably the most threatened taxonomic group of primates in Africa.[7] If following the taxonomic treatment advocated in Mammal Species of the World,[1] all species except the Udzungwa, Semliki, Oustalet's and Thollon's red colobus monkeys (which are vulnerable) are assessed by the IUCN as endangered or critically endangered.[8] Due to this sensitivity, it has been argued that they are indicator species for the health of Africa's tropical forests, leading researchers to urge that they be conserved as umbrella species.[9]

  1. ^ a b c Groves, C. P. (2005). "GENUS Piliocolobus". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 169–170. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ Groves, Colin (2007). "The taxonomic diversity of the Colobinae of Africa" (PDF). Journal of Anthropological Sciences. 85: 16.
  3. ^ de Rochebrune, A. (1887). Faune de Senegambie (Supplement). p. 96.
  4. ^ Zinner, D.; Fickenscher, G.H.; Roos, C. (2013). Mittermeier, Russell A.; Rylands, Anthony B.; Wilson, Don E. (eds.). Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Volume 3, Primates. Lynx. pp. 705–712. ISBN 978-8496553897.
  5. ^ Ghiglieri, Michael. East of the Mountains of the Moon: Chimpanzee Society in the African Rain Forest, The Free Press, 1988, pg. 238.
  6. ^ Ebola Cote d'Ivoire Outbreaks
  7. ^ Mittermeier, R. A., Ratsimbazafy, J., Rylands, A. B., Williamson, L., Oates, J. F., Mbora, D., Ganzhorn, J. U., Rodríguez-Luna, E., Palacios, E., Heymann, E. W., Kierulff, M. C. M., Yongcheng, L., Supriatna, J., Roos, C., Walker, S., & Aguiar, J. M. (2007). Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates, 2006–2008. Primate Conservation 2007 (22): 1-40
  8. ^ IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 12 September 2011.
  9. ^ Linder, Joshua M.; Cronin, Drew T.; Ting, Nelson; Abwe, Ekwoge E.; Aghomo, Florence; Davenport, Tim R. B.; Detwiler, Kate M.; Galat, Gérard; Galat-Luong, Anh; Hart, John A.; Ikemeh, Rachel A.; Kivai, Stanislaus M.; Koné, Inza; Konstant, William; Kujirakwinja, Deo (2024-04-30). "To conserve African tropical forests, invest in the protection of its most endangered group of monkeys, red colobus". Conservation Letters. 17 (3). Bibcode:2024ConL...17E3014L. doi:10.1111/conl.13014. ISSN 1755-263X.