The taxonomic status of the bonobo chimpanzee

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Abstract
A review of past work on the taxonomic status of the bonobo chimpanzee is presented. It is suggested that differences in size and morphology of the common and the bonobo chimpanzees have been exaggerated or poorly understood.It is concluded that not enough data from the field on both bonobo and rainforest‐living common chimpanzees exist to classify the bonobo. However, using Simpson's ('61) evolutionary species definition and the preliminary ecological data available, a subspecies designation for the bonobo chimpanzee is supported. Resolution of this taxonomic question through extensive field studies of both the bonobo and rainforest‐dwelling common chimpanzees may greatly aid our interpretation of the hominoid fossil record.