The macaques (the genus Macaca)
Phylogenetic Tree of Macaques
The macaques (/məˈkɑːk, -ˈkæk/) constitute a genus (Macaca) of gregarious Old World monkeys of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. The 23 species of macaques inhabit ranges throughout Asia, North Africa, and (in Gibraltar) Europe. Macaques are principally frugivorous (preferring fruit), although their diet also includes seeds, leaves, flowers, and tree bark. Some species such as the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis; also called the crab-eating macaque) will supplement their diets with small amounts of meat from shellfish, insects, and small mammals. On average, a southern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) in Malaysia eats about 70 large rats each year. All macaque social groups are arranged around dominant matriarchs.
Macaques are found in a variety of habitats throughout the Asian continent and are highly adaptable. Certain species are synanthropic, having learned to live alongside humans, but they have become problematic in urban areas in Southeast Asia and are not suitable to live with, as they can carry transmittable diseases.
Most macaque species are listed as vulnerable to critically endangered on the International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. As of March, 2022, the long-tailed macaque was listed as endangered.
Species
- Macaca arctoides I. GEOFFROY, 1831 - Bear macaque;
- Macaca assamensis MCCLELLAND, 1840 - Mountain rhesus, or Assamese macaque;
- Macaca cyclopis SWINHOE, 1863 – Taiwanese rhesus;
- Macaca fascicularis RAFFLES, 1821 - Macaca crab-eater;
- Macaca fuscata BLYTH, 1875 - Japanese macaque;
- Macaca hecki MATSCHIE, 1901;
- Macaca leonina BLYTH, 1863 - Northern pig-tailed macaque;
- Macaca leucogenys LI, ZHAO, FAN, 2015;
- Macaca maura SCHINZ, 1825 - Celebes macaque macaque;
- Macaca mulatta ZIMMERMANN, 1780 - Rhesus macaque;
- Macaca munzala SINHA et al., 2005;
- Macaca nemestrina LINNAEUS, 1766 - Pig-tailed macaque, or lapwings;
- Macaca nigra DESMAREST, 1822 - Crested baboon, or crested macaque, or black macaque;
- Macaca nigriscens TEMMINCK, 1849;
- Macaca ochreata OGILBY, 1841;
- Macaca pagensis MILLER, 1903 - Pagai macaque;
- Macaca radiata É. GEOFFROY, 1812 - Indian macaque or bonnet macaque;
- Macaca siberu FUENTES and OLSON, 1995 - Siberut macaque;
- Macaca silenus LINNAEUS, 1758 - Wanderu, or lion-tailed macaque;
- Macaca sinica LINNAEUS, 1771 - Ceylon macaque;
- Macaca sylvanus LINNAEUS, 1758 - Barbary monkey, or Maggot, or Maghreb macaque;
- Macaca thibetana MILNE-EDWARDS, 1870 - David's macaque, or Tibetan macaque;
- Macaca tonkeana MEYER, 1899 - Tonk's macaque.
