Cercopithecus wolfi is a small, arboreal guenon found in a wide range of forest types. The nominate form occurs in both terra firma and flooded areas; less frequently in secondary forests (Gautier-Hion 2013), although groups in the Lomami-Lualaba interfluve are frequently encountered in secondary forests and even in the vicinity of settlements (J. Hart, pers. obs. 2007). Two subspecies, elegans and pyrogaster, occupy gallery forests south of the main forest block (Colyn 1988, Niehoff 2016). Omnivorous with a wide range of dietary items recorded across the diverse array of habitats used, including fruits, seeds, leaves and nectar (Gautier-Hion 2013). The nominate form frequently occurs in polyspecific groups of arboreal guenons (Gautier-Hion 2013).

Cercopithecus wolfi is endemic to the central basin of DRC and is found from the left bank of the Congo/Lualaba River to about 7°S (Gautier-Hion 2013), a range of roughly 606,000 km². Three subspecies are recognised (Gautier-Hion 2013): 

Cercopitheus w. wolfi (Congo Basin Wolf’s Monkey) ranges from the Congo River south to the right banks of the Kasai and Sankuru rivers. The range is bounded on the east by the Lomami River (Colyn 1988). Southeastern limits of the range from the Lubefu River (right bank tributary of the Sankuru River) to the Lomami River, are not well defined (J. Hart, pers. obs. 2015). 

Cercopithecus w. elegans (Lomami River Wolf’s Monkey) is restricted to the Lomami-Lualaba interfluve. Southern limits are the gallery forests to about 4° S (Schouteden 1948, Colyn 1988). Schouteden (1948) gives the distribution of the form as the entire forested Lomami-Lualaba interfluve. Colyn (1988), however, considered the northern limits to be seasonally-inundated swamp forests on white sands (locally termed “sende” at about 2° S, suggesting that the nominate form occurred further north. Forms intermediate between elegans and nominate wolfi occur widely throughout the interfluve (Colyn 1988, Niehoff 2016). C. w. elegans (sensu stricto) are apparently limited to the south and east of the subspecies range, including the savanna ecotone of the upper Kasuku River basin (J. Hart, pers. obs. 2016).

Cercopithecus w. pyrogaster (Fire-bellied Wolf’s Monkey) is found in the southern Congo Basin from Kasai River south, following gallery forests and forest islands, to about 7° S (Schouteden 1948); the western limit is reported to be the Kwango River, whereas the eastern limit is the Lulua River (Schouteden 1948, Gautier-Hion 2013).

The nominate form occurs in closed primary forests up to 600 m asl in Lomami National Park (J. Hart, pers. obs. 2016).

Cercopithecus wolfi is listed on Appendix II of CITES. Important populations occur in a number of protected areas including Salonga and Lomami national parks and Lomako-Yokokala Faunal Reserve. C. w. pyrogaster is reported to occur in the Swa-Kibula Hunting Reserve (Dino 2014). Lomami National Park protects populations of both C. w. wolfi and C. w. elegans.