White leg thickener
| White leg thickener | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cephalophus crusalbum | ||||||||||||
| Grubb , 1978 |
The white-legged duiker ( Cephalophus crusalbum ) is a small antelope species from the tribe of the duiker ( Cephalophini ) within the family of the hornbeam (Bovidae). It was described in 1978 by Peter Grubb as a subspecies of the Ogilby ducker ( Cephalophus ogilbyi ). After a revision of the ungulates in 2011 by Colin Groves , however, it is recognized as a separate species.
features
The white-legged thickener usually reaches a head-trunk length of 96.5 to 104.1 cm. Two specimens collected had lengths of 145 cm. The tail length is 13 to 16 cm and the weight about 20 kg. The fur is golden brown. The buttocks and rump are darker than the flanks. The neck, the front part and the belly are colored gray. A black, 2.5 to 6 cm wide strip of the back runs from the shoulders to the rump, where it narrows to 1 cm and extends to the tip of the tail. Apart from the black central stripe, the top of the tail is golden brown. The underside of the tail has longer white hairs and the end of the tail consists of a narrow tuft of approximately three inches of golden brown hair. All four legs are relatively long with striking white hairs below the wrists and tarsal joints. The throat and lower chin are white. The head is gray with a dark brown forehead and a black mouth. A light chestnut-colored arch runs over both eyes. The tuft of the head between the eyes is dark chestnut in color. The ears are covered with sparse black hair on the outside, and striking white hairs can be seen on the inner ear surface. Horns are present in both sexes, with lengths of 8.7 to 10.9 cm measured in the males and approximately 5 cm in the females. The tooth formula is I 0 / 3- C 0 / 1- P 3 / 3- M 3/3 (× 2), so a total of 32 teeth.
distribution and habitat
The distribution area extends from the coasts of Gabon to the western Democratic Republic of the Congo . Its habitat is rainforest blocks and forest parcels within a savanna-forest mosaic.
Way of life
The diet consists of fruits, seeds and flowers. The white leg thickener was often observed under trees, where it ate the fruit dropped by the monkeys. Little information is available about its reproductive behavior. The young are very spotted. The scanty observations suggest that it is diurnal and that it forages either singly or in pairs.
Existence and endangerment
The IUCN classifies the white leg thickener as “not endangered” ( least concern ). It is relatively common with a stable population throughout most of its known range. The total population is estimated at 18,000 individuals.
literature
- Colin P. Groves , David M. Leslie Jr .: Family Bovidae (Hollow-horned Ruminants). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 2: Hooved Mammals. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2011, ISBN 978-84-96553-77-4 , p. 765.
Web links
- Entry in the IUCN Red List (as Cephalophus ogilbyi ssp.crusalbum )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Colin Groves, Peter Grubb : Ungulate Taxonomy. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2011, ISBN 978-142-140-093-8 , p. 272.