The gray-bellied night monkey (Aotus lemurinus), also called the grey-legged douroucouli or lemurine owl monkey, is a small New World monkey of the family Aotidae. Native to tropical and subtropical forests of South America, the gray-bellied night monkey faces a significant threat from hunting, harvesting for use in pharmaceutical research and habitat destruction.
Taxonomy
There have been up to four subspecies of the gray-bellied night monkey. The three species formally considered subspecies are:
- Brumback's night monkey, Aotus brumbacki
- Gray-handed night monkey, Aotus griseimembra
- Panamanian night monkey, Aotus zonalis
Additionally, Hershkovitz's night monkey Aotus hershkovitzi is now considered to be a junior synonym for A. lemurinus.