Preuss's monkey

Preuss's monkey[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Cercopithecidae
Genus: Allochrocebus
Species:
A. preussi
Binomial name
Allochrocebus preussi
(Matschie, 1898)
Geographic range

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 formerly classified as a subspecies of the L'Hoest's monkey (A. lhoesti).

Preuss's monkey is currently classified as a member of the genus Allochrocebus.[3][4] It was formerly considered a member of the genus Cercopithecus.[1]

The diet of Preuss's monkey is primarily fruit, leaves and insects, although the species occasionally raids human crops. It is darkish in coloration with a white chin, and adult males have a blue scrotum. Preuss's monkeys weigh up to 10 kg. Troops consist of one adult male and several females and adolescents, averaging 17 total per troop. Females give birth to a single offspring about once every three years. The young mature at 4 years and live to be an average of 31 years.

Preuss's monkey is an endangered species, due to habitat loss and hunting. It is one of the species that live in the Guinean Forests of the West Africa Biodiversity Hotspot.

Preuss's monkey is known to occur in captivity at the Centre for Education, Rehabilitation, and Conservation of Primates and Nature (CERCOPAN) in Cross River State, Nigeria and the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Limbe, South-West Region, Cameroon.

There are two subspecies of Preuss's monkey:

  • Cameroon Preuss's monkey, Cercopithecus preussi preussi
  • Bioko Preuss's monkey, Cercopithecus preussi insularis
  1. ^ a b Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 158. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ Cronin, D.T.; Maisels, F.; Ndeloh, D.; Gadsby, E.L. (2019). "Allochrocebus preussi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T4227A161178708. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T4227A161178708.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Allochrocebus". ITIS. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  4. ^ "Allochrocebus". Mammal Diversity Database. Retrieved 2019-07-18.