Pennant's Colobus
Encyclopedia
Pennant's colobus is a species of primate
in the Cercopithecidae family. Its distribution is peculiarly disjunct
and has been considered a biogeographical puzzle, with one population on the island of Bioko
(Equatorial Guinea
), a second in the Niger River
Delta in southern Nigeria
, and a third in east-central Republic of Congo. It is found in rainforests and marshy forests. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting for bushmeat
, and one subspecies, bouvieri, is rated as Critically Endangered
, with some fearing that it already may be extinct, as there have been no confirmed sightings in at least 20 years.
Three subspecies of this red colobus
are recognized:
However, Groves
(2007) raised P. p. epieni, and P. p. bouvieri to P. epieni and P. bouvieri, respectively. Ting agreed that preliminary genetic evidence supported elevating P. epieni at least.
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
in the Cercopithecidae family. Its distribution is peculiarly disjunct
Disjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
and has been considered a biogeographical puzzle, with one population on the island of Bioko
Bioko
Bioko is an island 32 km off the west coast of Africa, specifically Cameroon, in the Gulf of Guinea. It is the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea with a population of 124,000 and an area of . It is volcanic with its highest peak the Pico Basile at .-Geography:Bioko has a total area of...
(Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
), a second in the Niger River
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
Delta in southern Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, and a third in east-central Republic of Congo. It is found in rainforests and marshy forests. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting for bushmeat
Bushmeat
Bushmeat initially referred to the hunting of wild animals in West and Central Africa and is a calque from the French viande de brousse. Today the term is commonly used for meat of terrestrial wild animals, killed for subsistence or commercial purposes throughout the humid tropics of the Americas,...
, and one subspecies, bouvieri, is rated as Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....
, with some fearing that it already may be extinct, as there have been no confirmed sightings in at least 20 years.
Three subspecies of this red colobus
Red colobus
Red colobuses are Old World monkeys of the subgenus Piliocolobus in genus Procolobus. Some authors elevate Piliocolobus to a full genus, limiting Procolobus to the olive colobus. They are closely related to the black-and-white colobus monkeys and some species are often found in groups with the...
are recognized:
- Bioko red colobus, Procolobus pennantii pennantii
- Niger Delta red colobusNiger Delta Red ColobusThe Niger Delta red colobus is a species of colobus monkey. From the time it first became known to science in 1993 until 2007 or 2008 it was considered a subspecies of the western red colobus, Procolobus badius and more recently Pennant's colobus, Procolobus pennantii, and its trinomial name was...
, Procolobus pennantii epieni - Bouvier's red colobus, Procolobus pennantii bouvieri
However, Groves
Colin Groves
Colin Peter Groves is Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.Born in England on 24 June 1942, Colin Groves completed a Bachelor of Science at University College London in 1963, and a Doctor of Philosophy at the Royal Free Hospital School of...
(2007) raised P. p. epieni, and P. p. bouvieri to P. epieni and P. bouvieri, respectively. Ting agreed that preliminary genetic evidence supported elevating P. epieni at least.