Sykes' monkey

Not to be confused with White-throated guenon.

Sykes' monkey [1]
Kinondo, Gazi, Kenya
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Cercopithecidae
Genus:	Cercopithecus
Species:	C. mitis
Subspecies:	C. m. albogularis
Trinomial name
Cercopithecus mitis albogularis (Sykes, 1831)
Sykes' monkey geographical range

At Mount Kenya

Sykes' monkey (Cercopithecus mitis albogularis), is a subspecies of the blue monkey. ^[2] As it used to be considered a species of its own with a dozen subspecies, it has several alternative common names. It is an Old World monkey found within Kenya and Tanzania. It is named after English naturalist Colonel William Henry Sykes (1790-1872), and has a large white patch on the throat and upper chest, and a grizzled (not blackish) cap. The species was described on the basis of a specimen in captivity that had been brought to Bombay aboard a ship. ^{[3] [4]}

Taxonomy and classification

Sykes' monkey is traditionally treated as a subspecies within the broadly distributed blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) species. This approach is followed by global taxonomic authorities, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which classifies Sykes' monkey as a subspecies of C. mitis rather than a distinct species. ^[2]

The taxonomy of this monkey is complicated due to its placement within the broader nictitans/mitis superspecies, which predominantly compromises two main species complexes: the greater spot-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans) and the blue monkey (C. mitis). ^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]} Older taxonomies list Sykes' monkey as a third species within this grouping ^{[9] [10]} based on genetic, morphological, and geographical distinctions. Molecular and morphological studies have revealed potential divergence among members of the C. mitis complex, including the albogularis populations, advocating for elevation to full species status. ^{[11] [12] [13]}

The overlapping range and lack of reproductive isolation lead to extensive taxonomic uncertainty, with ongoing debate over whether albogularis should be considered a subspecies of C. mitis or as a distinct species. Nonetheless, taxonomic consensus remains unresolved and authorities continue to adopt the subspecies classification.

Subspecies

Sykes' monkey was previous considered a species on its own. ^[1] When it was, it had 12 subspecies: ^[1]

• C. a. albogularis – Zanzibar Sykes' monkey
• C. a. albotorquatus – Pousargues' Sykes' monkey
• C. a. erythrarchus – white-throated guenon or Samango monkey
• C. a. francescae
• C. a. kibonotensis
• C. a. kolbi – Mount Kenya Sykes' monkey
• C. a. labiatus – White-lipped monkey or Samango monkey
• C. a. moloneyi
• C. a. monoides
• C. a. phylax
• C. a. schwarzi
• C. a. zammaranoi – Zammarano's white-throated guenon

References

1. 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. 154. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
2. Butynski, T.M.; De Jong, Y.A. (2022) [amended version of 2019 assessment]. "Cercopithecus mitis ssp. albogularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022 e.T40645A210337748. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T40645A210337748.en . Retrieved 16 August 2023.
3. "[Descriptions of animals exhibited]". Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London. 1: 106. 1831.
4. Kingdon, J. (1997). The Kingdon Guide to African Mammals. London: Academic Press Limited. ISBN   0-12-408355-2.
5. Grubb, Peter; Butynski, Thomas M.; Oates, John F.; Bearder, Simon K.; Disotell, Todd R.; Groves, Colin P.; Struhsaker, Thomas T. (2003-12-01). "Assessment of the Diversity of African Primates". International Journal of Primatology. 24 (6): 1301–1357. doi:10.1023/B:IJOP.0000005994.86792.b9. ISSN   1573-8604.
6. Napier, PH (1981). Catalogue of Primates in the British Museum (Natural History) and Elsewhere in the British Isles. Part III: Family Cercopithecidae, Subfamily Cercopithecinae. British Museum (Natural History), London.
7. "Cercopithecus mitis Gentle Monkey (Diademed Monkey, Blue Monkey, Sykes's Monkey) : Fr. Cercopithèque à diadème; Ger. Diademmeerkatze", Mammals of Africa : Primates, Bloomsbury Publishing (UK), 2013, doi:10.5040/9781472926920.0068, ISBN   978-1-4729-2692-0 , retrieved 2025-12-03
8. Butynski, Thomas; De Jong, Yvonne (April 2020). "Taxonomy and Biogeography of the Gentle Monkey Cercopithecus mitis Wolf, 1822 (Primates: Cercopithecidae) in Kenya and Tanzania, and Designation of a New Subspecies Endemic to Tanzania". Primate Conservation (34): 71–127 – via ResearchGate.
9. Groves, Colin (2001). Primate Taxonomy. Smithsonian Institution Press.
10. Groves, C. P. (2005). "Cercopithecus albogularis". 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. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
11. Lo Bianco, Stefania; Masters, Judith C.; Sineo, Luca (2017). "The evolution of the Cercopithecini: a (post)modern synthesis". Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews. 26 (6): 336–349. doi:10.1002/evan.21567. ISSN   1520-6505. PMID   29265656.
12. Shao, Yong; Zhou, Long; Li, Fang; Zhao, Lan; Zhang, Bao-Lin; Shao, Feng; Chen, Jia-Wei; Chen, Chun-Yan; Bi, Xupeng; Zhuang, Xiao-Lin; Zhu, Hong-Liang; Hu, Jiang; Sun, Zongyi; Li, Xin; Wang, Depeng (2023-06-02). "Phylogenomic analyses provide insights into primate evolution". Science. 380 (6648): 913–924. Bibcode:2023Sci...380..913S. doi:10.1126/science.abn6919. PMID   37262173.
13. Jensen, Axel; Swift, Frances; de Vries, Dorien; Beck, Robin M D; Kuderna, Lukas F K; Knauf, Sascha; Chuma, Idrissa S; Keyyu, Julius D; Kitchener, Andrew C; Farh, Kyle; Rogers, Jeffrey; Marques-Bonet, Tomas; Detwiler, Kate M; Roos, Christian; Guschanski, Katerina (2023-12-01). O’Connell, Mary (ed.). "Complex Evolutionary History With Extensive Ancestral Gene Flow in an African Primate Radiation". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 40 (12) msad247. doi:10.1093/molbev/msad247. ISSN   0737-4038. PMC   10691879 . PMID   37987553.