Niger Delta red colobus

Species of Old World monkey

Niger Delta red colobus

Conservation status

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Mammalia
Order:  | Primates
Suborder:  | Haplorhini
Infraorder:  | Simiiformes
Family:  | Cercopithecidae
Genus:  | Piliocolobus
Species:  |

P. epieni

Binomial name
Piliocolobus epieni

(Grubb & Powell,[2] 1999)

Synonyms

* Procolobus badius epieni
* Procolobus pennantii epieni

The Niger Delta red colobus (Piliocolobus epieni) is a critically endangered species of colobus monkey endemic to the western part of the Niger Delta. It is threatened by hunting and habitat loss.

## Taxonomy

[edit]

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 badius epieni or Procolobus pennantii epieni.[1][3] Colin Groves recognized the Niger Delta red colobus as a full species in 2007, although Groves considered all the red colobus monkeys, including the Niger Delta red colobus to be in the genus Piliocolobus, rather than Procolobus (this nomenclature has been followed here).[4] However, other authors consider Piliocolobus to be a subgenus of Procolobus.

## Description

[edit]

The Niger Delta red colobus is black on top from the head to the rump, becoming orange-brown on the sides and outer legs. The undersides and inner legs, and most of the arms are white. The hands and feet are black. The tail is red-brown on top and chestnut or maroon below, becoming darker towards the tip. It has white whiskers.[3][4]

## Distribution

[edit]

The Niger Delta red colobus is found only in the western part of the Niger Delta.[4] It is restricted to marsh forest, that is, forest with a high water table year round but no significant flooding.[3] It shares this habitat with several other primate species, including the Nigerian white-throated guenon (Cercopithecus erythrogaster pococki), the red-capped mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus), the putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans), the mona monkey (Cercopithecus mona), and maybe also the olive colobus (Procolobus verus).[3]

## Status

[edit]

When it was first discovered, the Niger Delta red colobus was locally common but under some pressure from deforestation, especially logging of Hallea ledermannii, which is an important food tree for the monkey.[3] Since then, pressure from bushmeat hunting and logging has increased.[3] Red colobus monkeys generally appear to be particularly sensitive to hunting and habitat disturbance, hence concerns that the species may be on the verge of extinction.[3]

The Niger Delta red colobus was still found in the Edumanom Forest Reserve in 2008.[5] However, as of 2008, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers it critically endangered, due a reduction in population of more than 80% over the past 30 years largely caused by hunting and habitat loss.[1] In 2010, the Niger Delta red colobus was included in the list of The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates, published by the IUCN and other organizations.[3]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Ikemeh, R.; Oates, J.F.; Inaoyom, I. (2019). "Piliocolobus epieni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T41024A92656391. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T41024A92656391.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
2. ^ Williamson, Kay (November 2002). "Charles Bruce Powell 1943-1998". Crustaceana. 75 (10): 1275–1278\. doi:10.1163/156854002321518207. JSTOR 20105513. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Mittermeier, R.A.; Wallis, J.; Rylands, A.B.; Ganzhorn, J.U.; Oates, J.F.; Williamson, E.A.; Palacios, E.; Heymann, E.W.; Kierulff, M.C.M.; Long Yongcheng; Supriatna, J.; Roos, C.; Walker, S.; Cortés-Ortiz, L.; Schwitzer, C., eds. (2009). Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates 2008–2010 (PDF). Illustrated by S.D. Nash. Arlington, VA.: IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group (PSG), International Primatological Society (IPS), and Conservation International (CI). pp. 1–92\. ISBN 978-1-934151-34-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
4. ^ a b c Groves, C. (2007). "The taxonomic diversity of the Colobinae of Africa" (PDF). Journal of Anthropological Sciences. 85: 7–34\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2013.
5. ^ "NIGERIA BIODIVERSITY AND TROPICAL FORESTRY ASSESSMENT" (PDF). USAID. June 2008. p. 76\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2010.

* v
* t
* e

Extant species of family Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys) (subfamily Colobinae)

* Kingdom: Animalia
* Phylum: Chordata
* Class: Mammalia
* Order: Primates
* Suborder: Haplorhini

African group|

| Colobus
(Black and white colobi)|

* Black colobus (C. satanas)
* Angola colobus (C. angolensis)
* King colobus (C. polykomos)
* Ursine colobus (C. vellerosus)
* Mantled guereza (C. guereza)

|

Piliocolobus
(Red colobi)|

* Western red colobus (P. badius)
* Miss Waldron's red colobus (P. waldronae)
* Pennant's colobus (P. pennantii)
* Preuss's red colobus (P. preussi)
* Thollon's red colobus (P. tholloni)
* Foa's red colobus (P. foai)
* Ugandan red colobus (P. tephrosceles)
* Udzungwa red colobus (P. gordonorum)
* Zanzibar red colobus (P. kirkii)
* Tana River red colobus (P. rufomitratus)
* Niger Delta red colobus (P. epieni)
* Bouvier's red colobus (P. bouvieri)
* Semliki red colobus (P. semlikiensis)
* Lang's red colobus (P. langi)
* Oustalet's red colobus (P. oustaleti)
* Lomami red colobus (P. parmentieri)
* Ulindi River red colobus (P. lulindicus)

Procolobus|

* Olive colobus (P. verus)

Langur group|

| Semnopithecus
(Gray langurs)|

* Nepal gray langur (S. schistaceus)
* Kashmir gray langur (S. ajax)
* Tarai gray langur (S. hector)
* Northern plains gray langur (S. entellus)
* Black-footed gray langur (S. hypoleucos)
* Tufted gray langur (S. priam)
* Purple-faced langur (S. vetulus)
* Nilgiri langur (S. johnii)

|

Trachypithecus|

* T. cristatus group: East Javan langur (T. auratus)
* West Javan langur (T. mauritius)
* Silvery lutung (T. cristatus)
* Germain's langur (T. germaini)
* Annamese langur (T. margarita)
* Tenasserim lutung (T. barbei)
* Selangor silvered langur (T. selangorensis)

* T. obscurus group: Dusky leaf monkey (T. obscurus)
* Indochinese grey langur (T. crepusculus)
* Phayre's leaf monkey (T. phayrei)
* Popa langur (T. popa)

* T. pileatus group: Capped langur (T. pileatus)
* Shortridge's langur (T. shortridgei)
* Gee's golden langur (T. geei)

* T. francoisi group: François' langur (T. francoisi)
* Hatinh langur (T. hatinhensis)
* Cat Ba langur (T. poliocephalus)
* White-headed langur (T. leucocephalus)
* Laotian langur (T. laotum)
* Delacour's langur (T. delacouri)
* Indochinese black langur (T. ebenus)

Presbytis
(Surilis)|

* Black-crested Sumatran langur (P. melalophos)
* Black-and-white langur (P. bicolor)
* Black Sumatran langur (P. sumatrana)
* Mitered langur (P. mitrata)
* Raffles' banded langur (P. femoralis)
* Robinson's banded langur (P. robinsoni)
* East Sumatran banded langur (P. percura)
* Sarawak surili (P. chrysomelas)
* White-thighed surili (P. siamensis)
* White-fronted surili (P. frontata)
* Javan surili (P. comata)
* Thomas's langur (P. thomasi)
* Hose's langur (P. hosei)
* Miller's langur (P. canicrus)
* Sabah grizzled langur (P. sabana)
* Maroon leaf monkey (P. rubicunda)
* Mentawai langur (P. potenziani)
* Siberut langur (P. siberu)
* Natuna Island surili (P. natunae)

Odd-nosed group|

| Pygathrix
(Doucs)|

* Red-shanked douc (P. nemaeus)
* Black-shanked douc (P. nigripes)
* Gray-shanked douc (P. cinerea)

|

Rhinopithecus
(Snub-nosed monkeys)|

* Golden snub-nosed monkey (R. roxellana)
* Black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (R. bieti)
* Gray snub-nosed monkey (R. brelichi)
* Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (R. avunculus)
* Myanmar snub-nosed monkey (R. strykeri)

Nasalis|

* Proboscis monkey (N. larvatus)

Simias|

* Pig-tailed langur (S. concolor)

Category

* v
* t
* e

The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates (2023–2025)

Madagascar|

* Madame Berthe's mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae)
* Sahafary sportive lemur (Lepilemur septentrionalis)
* Coquerel's giant mouse lemur (Mirza coquereli)
* Red ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra)

Africa|

* Rondo dwarf galago (Paragalago rondoensis)
* Golden-bellied mangabey (Cercocebus chrysogaster)
* Southern patas monkey (Erythrocebus baumstarki)
* Red-bellied monkey (Cercopithecus erythrogaster)
* Niger Delta red colobus (Piliocolobus epieni)
* Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli)

Asia|

* Northern pygmy slow loris (Xanthonycticebus intermedius)
* Sangihe Island tarsier (Tarsius sangirensis)
* Cat Ba langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus)
* Pig-tailed snub-nosed langur (Simias concolor)
* Myanmar snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri)
* Raffles' banded langur (Presbytis femoralis)
* Bornean banded langur (Presbytis chrysomelas)
* Cao-vit gibbon (Nomascus nasutus)
* Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis)

South America|

* Olalla brothers' titi (Plecturocebus olallae)
* Caatinga or blond titi monkey (Callicebus barbarabrownae)
* Pied tamarin (Saguinus bicolor)
* Central American squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii)
* Peruvian yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda)
* Variegated spider monkey (Ateles hybridus)

Taxon identifiers

Piliocolobus epieni|

* Wikidata: Q3818411
* Wikispecies: Piliocolobus epieni
* CoL: 4HTQL
* GBIF: 7455384
* iNaturalist: 502506
* ITIS: 944237
* IUCN: 41024
* MDD: 1000643
* Observation.org: 206844
* Open Tree of Life: 6145122
* Paleobiology Database: 391143
* Xeno-canto: Piliocolobus-epieni

Procolobus badius epieni|

* Wikidata: Q126011462
* GBIF: 5786255

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template