Bouvier colobus monkey
| Bouvier colobus monkey | ||||||||||||
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| Piliocolobus bouvieri | ||||||||||||
| Rochebrune , 1887 |
The Bouvier colobus monkey ( Piliocolobus bouvieri ) is an extremely rare species of primate from the genus of the red colobus monkey ( Piliocolobus ), which occurs on the right bank of the Congo in the Republic of the Congo . The species was long considered a subspecies of the Pennant colobus monkey ( Piliocolobus pennantii ) from the Equatorial Guinean island of Bioko , but received the rank of an independent species in 2007 by Colin Groves . Recent publications, including the Handbook of the Mammals of the World , Volume 3, Primates (2013), have adopted this classification. The species is named after the French zoologist Aimé Bouvier († 1919).
features
Size information is only available for two females. The head-torso length of the two specimens is approximately 58 cm and the tail length approximately 76 cm. Both the sizes of the males and the weights for both sexes are unknown. Judging by the two known museum specimens, the Bouvier colobus monkey is a rather small and long-tailed species. The fur is glossy red on top. The coat, which runs to the middle of the back, is narrow, black and unbanded. The underside is lighter (partly brown and partly reddish brown) and the thighs are more yellowish reddish brown than the flanks. The tail is dark at the root and turns golden brown to reddish brown towards the tip. The top of the head is red and has no vertebrae. A rigid black band runs over the eyes. There is a small tuft behind each ear. A black browband surrounds the forehead vertebra and runs laterally on the temples. The face is light slate gray with large pink circles under the eyes. The bright facial pattern of the Bouvier colobus monkey is quite unique. It varies from flesh-colored with black cheekbones and eyebrows to darker faces where only the nose and lips are light colored. The chin is covered with white hair.
distribution and habitat
The distribution area is a small area on the right bank of the Congo in the Republic of the Congo, which extends from the mouth of the Likouala-aux-Herbes east of the Sangha to the lower reaches of the Alima , both tributaries of the lower Congo. Sightings of the Inoni from the Lefini Faunal Reserve a little further south of the known distribution area are not confirmed. The habitat includes swamp forests.
Way of life
Little is known about the way of life of the Bouvier colobus monkey. The species is diurnal and tree dwelling. The diet is vegetarian and includes young and ripe leaves, fruits, flowers, buds and probably seeds. No information is available on migration, reproductive and social behavior.
status
The IUCN lists the Bouvier colobus monkeys in the category “ critically endangered ” with the addition “probably extinct” ( possibly extinct ). It is also listed in Appendix II of the CITES Convention and in Class B of the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. After a final record in 1970, the extinction of this species was suspected, but the Belgian primatologist Lieven Devreese managed to rediscover and photograph 20 specimens on the left bank of the Lengoué in the Republic of Congo in March 2015 . The species is heavily hunted for the bushmeat market and habitat loss in the area has contributed significantly to the decline of this and other species. Studies in the known distribution area and in the Lefini Faunal Reserve are necessary to clarify the status of this little-known primate species.
Individual evidence
- ^ Colin P. Groves: The taxonomic diversity of the Colobinae of Africa. Journal of Anthropological Sciences, Vol. 85 (2007), pp. 7-34, PDF
- ↑ a b c d D. Zinner, GH Fickenscher & C. Roos: Family Cercopithecidae (Old World Monkeys) . Pp. 550-753 In: Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Vol. 3. Primates, 2013, p. 708.
- ↑ Piliocolobus bouvieri in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: Oates, JF & Struhsaker, T., 2008. Accessed on March 18 of 2019.
- ↑ Bouvier's Red Colobus Monkey Rediscovered in Congo, Photographed for First Time Article at sci-news.com