Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 28, 2026

Guenon

The guenons are Old World monkeys of the genus Cercopithecus. Not all members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names — blue monkeys, De Brazza's monkeys, and Diana monkeys are all guenons.

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May 28, 2026
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Guenons1
Diana monkey (C. diana)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Placentalia
Order: Primates
Family: Cercopithecidae
Subfamily: Cercopithecinae
Tribe: Cercopithecini
Genus: Cercopithecus
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Simia diana
Species

See text

The guenons (UK: /ɡəˈnɒnz/, US: /ˈɡwɛn.ənz/) are Old World monkeys of the genus Cercopithecus (/ˌsɜːrkəˈpɪθəkəs/). Not all members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names — blue monkeys, De Brazza's monkeys, and Diana monkeys are all guenons.

Members of the genus are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, and most are forest monkeys. Many of the species are quite local in their ranges, and some have even more local subspecies. Many are threatened or endangered because of habitat loss.

Guenons are sexually dimorphic, with males nearly twice the size of females. Most animals live in one-male groups, though males may live alone or spread out in bachelor groups.2

Classification

The genus name Cercopithecus comes from Ancient Greek κέρκος (kérkos), meaning "tail", and πίθηκος (píthēkos), meaning "ape". It was named by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.

Because of changes in scientific classification, some monkeys previously included in this genus are no longer. Vervet monkeys and green monkeys, for example, were formerly considered as a single species in this genus (Cercopithecus aethiops) but are currently in the genus Chlorocebus.

In the English language, the word "guenon" is apparently of French origin.3 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 designates only the females.4 The three species such as the L'hoest's monkey, Preuss's monkey and the sun-tailed monkey were formerly included in the genus and now listed in a different genus Allochrocebus.156

Species list

Genus Cercopithecus – Linnaeus, 1758 – nineteen species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Blue monkey

Gray monkey

 C. mitis
Wolf, 1822

Sixteen subspecies
  • C. m. albogularis (Sykes' monkey)
  • C. m. albotorquatus
  • C. m. boutourlinii (Boutourlini's blue monkey)
  • C. m. doggetti (silver monkey)
  • C. m. erythrarchus
  • C. m. heymansi (Lomami River blue monkey)
  • C. m. kandti (golden monkey)
  • C. m. kolbi
  • C. m. labiatus
  • C. m. manyaraensis
  • C. m. mitis (Pluto monkey)
  • C. m. moloneyi
  • C. m. monoides
  • C. m. opisthostictus
  • C. m. stuhlmanni (Stuhlmann's blue monkey)
  • C. m. zammaranoi
Sub-Saharan Africa
Map of range 		Size: 31–70 cm (12–28 in) long, plus 55–109 cm (22–43 in) tail7

Habitat: Forest8

Diet: Fruit and leaves, as well as invertebrates9 		 LC 


Unknown Population declining8

Campbell's mona monkey

ray monkeys

 C. campbelli
Waterhouse, 1838 		Western Africa
Map of range 		Size: 36–55 cm (14–22 in) long, plus 49–85 cm (19–33 in) tail10

Habitat: Forest, savanna, and shrubland11

Diet: Fruit, leaves, seeds and grains, as well as birds, bird eggs, small reptiles, and insects10 		 NT 


Unknown Population declining11

Crested mona monkey

Brown and white monkey

 C. pogonias
Bennett, 1833

Three subspecies
  • C. p. grayi (Gray's crested mona)
  • C. p. nigripes (Black-footed crested mona)
  • C. p. pogonias (Golden-bellied crested mona)
Central Africa
Map of range 		Size: 34–55 cm (13–22 in) long, plus 48–87 cm (19–34 in) tail12

Habitat: Forest13

Diet: Fruit and seeds, as well as leaves, flowers and insects13 		 NT 


Unknown Population declining13

De Brazza's monkey

Gray monkey

 C. neglectus
Schlegel, 1876 		Central Africa
Map of range 		Size: 39–60 cm (15–24 in) long, plus 47–79 cm (19–31 in) tail14

Habitat: Inland wetlands and forest15

Diet: Fruit, as well as leaves, flowers, mushrooms, beetles, termites, and worms16 		 LC 


Unknown Unknown15

Dent's mona monkey

Brown and white monkey

 C. denti
Thomas, 1907 		Central Africa
Map of range 		Size: 40–70 cm (16–28 in) long, plus 70–90 cm (28–35 in) tail17

Habitat: Forest18

Diet: Fruit and arthropods, as well as flowers, caterpillars, shoots, and leaves18 		 LC 


Unknown Population declining18

Diana monkey

Gray monkey

 C. diana
(Linnaeus, 1758) 		Western Africa
Map of range 		Size: 40–55 cm (16–22 in) long, plus 50–75 cm (20–30 in) tail19

Habitat: Forest20

Diet: Fruit, flowers, leaves, insects, and other invertebrates19 		 EN 


Unknown Population declining20

Greater spot-nosed monkey

Gray monkey

 C. nictitans
(Linnaeus, 1766)

Five subspecies
  • C. n. insolitus
  • C. n. ludio
  • C. n. martini
  • C. n. nictitans
  • C. n. stampflii
Western Africa
Map of range 		Size: 40–57 cm (16–22 in) long, plus 56–100 cm (22–39 in) tail21

Habitat: Forest22

Diet: Fruits and seeds, as well as leaves and insects23 		 NT 


Unknown Population declining22

Hamlyn's monkey

Gray monkey

 C. hamlyni
Pocock, 1907

Two subspecies
  • C. h. hamlyni
  • C. h. kahuziensis
Central Africa
Map of range 		Size: 43–63 cm (17–25 in) long, plus 49–63 cm (19–25 in) tail24

Habitat: Forest25

Diet: Shoots, leaves, plants, and herbs, as well as fruit and seeds26 		 VU 


Unknown Population declining25

Lesser spot-nosed monkey

Gray monkey

 C. petaurista
(Schreber, 1774)

Two subspecies
  • C. p. buettikoferi
  • C. p. petaurista
Western Africa
Map of range 		Size: 29–53 cm (11–21 in) long, plus 57–78 cm (22–31 in) tail27

Habitat: Forest28

Diet: Fruit as well as insects27 		 NT 


Unknown Population declining28

Lesula

Gray and yellow monkey

 C. lomamiensis
Hart et al., 2012 		Central Africa
Map of range 		Size: 40–65 cm (16–26 in) long, plus 40–65 cm (16–26 in) tail29

Habitat: Forest30

Diet: Leaves, fruits and flowers31 		 VU 


Unknown Population declining30

Lowe's mona monkey

Gray monkey

 C. lowei
Thomas, 1923 		Western Africa (in green)
Map of range 		Size: 36–55 cm (14–22 in) long, plus 54–85 cm (21–33 in) tail32

Habitat: Forest and savanna33

Diet: Fruit and insects32 		 VU 


10,000 Population declining33

Mona monkey

Brown and white monkey

 C. mona
(Schreber, 1774) 		Western Africa
Map of range 		Size: 32–53 cm (13–21 in) long, plus 67–90 cm (26–35 in) tail34

Habitat: Forest35

Diet: Fruit, sprouts, leaves, and invertebrates34 		 NT 


Unknown Population declining35

Moustached guenon

Brown monkey

 C. cephus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Three subspecies
  • C. c. cephodes
  • C. c. cephus
  • C. c. ngottoensis
Western Africa
Map of range 		Size: 44–60 cm (17–24 in) long, plus 66–99 cm (26–39 in) tail36

Habitat: Forest37

Diet: Fruit, as well as seeds, leaves, insects, and eggs38 		 LC 


Unknown Unknown37

Red-eared guenon

Gray monkey

 C. erythrotis
Waterhouse, 1838

Two subspecies
  • C. e. camerunensis (Cameroon Red-eared Monkey)
  • C. e. erythrotis (Bioko Red-eared Monkey)
Western Africa
Map of range 		Size: 36–55 cm (14–22 in) long, plus 46–77 cm (18–30 in) tail39

Habitat: Forest40

Diet: Fruit, as well as leaves, shoots and arthropods40 		 VU 


Unknown Population declining40

Red-tailed monkey

Gray monkey

 C. ascanius
(Audebert, 1799)

Five subspecies
  • C. a. ascanius
  • C. a. atrinasus
  • C. a. katangae
  • C. a. schmidti
  • C. a. whitesidei
Central Africa
Map of range 		Size: 34–55 cm (13–22 in) long, plus 67–92 cm (26–36 in) tail41

Habitat: Forest42

Diet: Fruit, as well as leaves, insects, flowers, buds, and tree gum43 		 LC 


Unknown Population declining42

Roloway monkey

Gray monkey

 C. roloway
(Schreber, 1774) 		Western Africa
Map of range 		Size: 44–62 cm (17–24 in) long, plus 70–91 cm (28–36 in) tail44

Habitat: Forest45

Diet: Insects, as well as seeds, fruit, and leaves44 		 CR 


Unknown Population declining45

Sclater's guenon

Gray monkey

 C. sclateri
Pocock, 1904 		Western Africa
Map of range 		Size: 32–38 cm (13–15 in) long, plus 61–85 cm (24–33 in) tail46

Habitat: Forest47

Diet: Fruit, as well as insects, flowers and leaves48 		 EN 


Unknown Population declining47

White-throated guenon

Gray and brown monkey

 C. erythrogaster
Gray, 1866

Two subspecies
  • C. e. erythrogaster (Red-bellied guenon)
  • C. e. pococki (Nigerian white-throated guenon)
Western Africa
Map of range 		Size: 38–46 cm (15–18 in) long, plus 58–70 cm (23–28 in) tail27

Habitat: Forest and inland wetlands49

Diet: Fruit49 		 EN 


Unknown Population declining49

Wolf's mona monkey

Gray and brown monkey

 C. wolfi
Meyer, 1891

Three subspecies
  • C. w. elegans
  • C. w. pyrogaster
  • C. w. wolfi
Central Africa Size: 44–52 cm (17–20 in) long, plus 69–83 cm (27–33 in) tail50

Habitat: Forest51

Diet: Fruit, leaves, seeds, and flowers50 		 NT 


Unknown Population declining51

Hybrids

The red-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius) is known to hybridize with the blue monkey (C. mitis) in several locations in the wild in Africa.52

References

References

  1. Groves, C. P. (2005). "GENUS Cercopithecus". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 154–158. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. Rowell, T. E. (March 1988). "Beyond the One-Male Group". Behaviour. 104 (3/4): 189–201 – via JSTOR.
  3. guenon /gəˈnoʊn/ n. M19. [Fr., of uncertain origin.] (The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Clarendon Press, Oxford, Vol. 1 A-M, 1993 edition, see page 1,157)
  4. guenon [gənɔ̃] n. f. - 1505; o. i.; p.-ê même rad. que guenille 1. vx Cercopithèque, mâle ou femelle. 2. MOD. Singe femelle. [...] (Le Petit Robert, grand format, Dictionnaires Le Robert, Paris, first edition: 1967, Nouveau Petit Robert edition: 1993, grand format edition: 1996, ISBN 2-85036-469-X, see page 1,056)
  5. "Allochrocebus". ITIS. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  6. "Allochrocebus". Mammal Diversity Database. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  7. Kingdon 2015, p. 175
  8. Butynski, T. M.; de Jong, Y. A. (2021) [errata version of 2019 assessment]. "Cercopithecus mitis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T4221A196007901. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T4221A196007901.en.
  9. Strawder, Nicole (2001). "Cercopithecus mitis". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
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Sources

Sources

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