Crab-eating macaque crab-eating macaque is a known invasive species and a threat to biodiversity in several locations, including Hong Kong and western New Guinea. The significant overlap in macaque and human living space has resulted in greater habitat loss, synanthropic living, and inter- and intraspecies conflicts over resources. "Macaca" comes from the Portuguese word "macaco", which was derived from "makaku", a Fiot (West African language) word ("kaku" means monkey in Fiot). The specific epithet "fascicularis" is Latin for a small band or stripe. Sir Thomas Raffles, who gave the animal its scientific name in 1821, did not specify what he meant by
Crab-eating macaque of populations due to increased wild trade and rising levels of human-macaque conflict, which are reducing overall population levels despite the species being widely distributed. Each subspecies faces differing levels of threats, and too little information is available on some subspecies to assess their conditions. The "M. f. umbrosa" subspecies is likely of important biological significance and has been recommended as a candidate for protection in the Nicobar Islands, where its small, native population has been seriously fragmented, and is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The Philippine long-tailed macaque ("M. f. philippensis") is listed as near threatened,