Tana River Mangabey

Taxobox
name = Tana River MangabeyMSW3 Groves | pages = 153]
status = EN
status_system = iucn3.1
status_ref = IUCN2007 | assessors = Primate Specialist Group | year = 1996 | title = Cercocebus galeritus ssp. galeritus | id = 4200 | downloaded = 2007-07-29]
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Primates
familia = Cercopithecidae
genus = "Cercocebus"
species = "C. galeritus"
binomial = "Cercocebus galeritus"
binomial_authority = Peters, 1879
synonyms =

The Tana River Mangabey ("Cercocebus galeritus") is a highly endangered species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. Some authorities have included the taxa "agilis" and "sanjei" as subspecies of this species, [cite journal | author = Grubb, P., Butynski, T. M., Oates, J. F., Bearder, S. K., Disotell, T. R., Groves, C. P., & Struhsaker, T. T. | year = 2003 | title = Assessment of the diversity of African primates. International Journal of Primatology | volume = 24 | pages = 1301–1357] while other award these full species status, resulting in the Tana River Mangabey being monotypic.

It is endemic to riverine forest patches along the lower Tana River in southeastern Kenya. It is threatened by habitat loss and degradation, which has increased in recent years. [cite journal | author = Wieczkowski, J. & Mbora, D. N. M. | year = 2000 | title = Increasing threats to the conservation of endemic endangered primates and forests of the lower Tana River, Kenya | journal = African Primates | volume = 4 | pages = 32–40] This species was, together with the equally endangered Tana River Red Colobus, the main reason for the creation of the Tana River Primate Reserve in 1978, [ [http://www.kws.org/tana-river.html Tana River National Primate Reserve.] Kenya WildLife Service. Accessed 2008-07-20] but human encroachment within this reserve continues. [ [http://www.africanconservation.org/content/view/685/405/ Kenya’s rare monkey species threatened with extinction .] African Conservation Foundation. Accessed 2008-07-20] Recently, it has been suggested that 20,000 hectares of the Tana River Delta should be transformed into sugarcane plantations, but this has, temporarily at least, been stopped by the High Court of Kenya. [ [http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2008/07/tana_reprieve.html Tana gets temporary reprieve.] BirdLife International. Accessed 2008-07-20]

References