New monkey identified in Africa
A new species of monkey has been identified in Africa,
the second one in 28 years, say scientists.
The primate was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo
where it is known locally as a "lesula".
The species is separated from its nearest cousins by two rivers:
the Congo and the Lomami.
Conservationists say the discovery highlights the need to protect
the diverse wildlife of the Congo
basin.
The discovery was published in the online journal Public Library
of Science.
The first contact scientists had with the monkey was when they
encountered a juvenile female, kept in a cage by a primary school director in
the town of Opala.
He referred to the animal as a "lesula", a common name among local hunters, and it was taken into care and monitored by scientists.
He referred to the animal as a "lesula", a common name among local hunters, and it was taken into care and monitored by scientists.
During investigations in the local area the team found further
captive monkeys and six months later they finally observed the long black limbs
of the species in the wild.
"When we started our inventories in the
[Tshuapa-Lomami-Lualaba] landscape we knew it was essentially unexplored but we
did not imagine how important the biological discoveries would be," said
Dr John Hart of the Lukuru Foundation, who led the project.
"We did not expect to find a new species, especially in a
group as well known as the African guenons."
In the paper, the formal description of the species detailed their
distinctive facial features: "A mane of long grizzled blond hairs frames a
protruding pale, naked face and muzzle, with a variably distinct cream-coloured
vertical nose stripe."
After genetic analysis identified the species as a member of the
guenon group of Old World monkeys, scientists named it Cercopithecus
lomamiensis after the nearby Lomami
River
Researchers estimated the monkeys' range at around 6,500 sq miles
in central DR Congo but voiced concerns that this relatively small distribution
could make the animals vulnerable to human pressures, such as bushmeat hunting.
"The challenge for conservation now in Congo is to
intervene before losses become definitive," said Dr Hart.
"Species with small ranges like the lesula can move from
vulnerable to seriously endangered over the course of just a few years."
Biologists suggested that the previously unexplored forest could
be home to more unidentified species.
"This discovery may be only the first from this remarkable
but poorly known forest, located in the central DRC [DR Congo]," said
anthropologist Andrew Burrell from New
York University
who was also involved in the study.
"Recent surveys have shown that the forest also harbours
okapi, bonobos and elephants, as well as 10 other primate species or
subspecies."
Dr Hart added that the region is now in the final stages of being
declared a protected area: the Lomami
National Park.
"The discovery of the lesula has extended our knowledge of
the evolution and ecology of African monkeys, and in particular has confirmed
the importance of a previously little-known region for primate diversity,"
he told BBC Nature.
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