def set_colors(Hominidae='#7f48b5', Hylobatidae='#c195ed', Cercopithecidae='#f0bb3e', Platyrrhini='#f2e3bd'):
    """
    Assign custom colors to species for visualisation purposes.

    Parameters:
    Hominidae (str): takes matplotlib named colors or hex color codes for Hominidae (Great Apes).
    Hylobatidae (str): takes matplotlib named colors or hex color codes for Hylobatidae (Gibbons).
    Cercopithecidae (str): takes matplotlib named colors or hex color codes for Cercopithecidae (Old World Monkey).
    Platyrrhini (str): takes matplotlib named colors or hex color codes for Platyrrhini (New World Monkey).

    matplotlib named colors: https://matplotlib.org/stable/gallery/color/named_colors.html
    """
    colors = {
        'Hominidae': Hominidae,
        'Hylobatidae': Hylobatidae,
        'Cercopithecidae': Cercopithecidae,
        'Platyrrhini': Platyrrhini
        } 
    return colors