- Dryas monkey
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Dryas monkey[1] Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Cercopithecidae Genus: Cercopithecus Species: C. dryas Binomial name Cercopithecus dryas
Schwarz, 1932
Geographic range Synonyms - salongo Thys van den Audenaerde, 1977
The Dryas monkey (Cercopithecus dryas), also known as Salonga monkey or ntolu, is a little-known species of guenon found only in the Congo Basin, restricted to the left bank of the Congo River. It is now established that the animals previously classified as Cercopithecus salongo (common name Zaire Diana monkey) were in fact Dryas monkeys.[3] Some older sources treat the Dryas monkey as a subspecies of the Diana monkey and classify it as Cercopithecus diana dryas, but it is geographically isolated from any known Diana monkey population.
While the Dryas monkey formerly was considered data deficient, recent evidence suggests it is very rare and its total population possibly number less than 200 individuals. Consequently, its status was changed to critically endangered in the 2008 IUCN Red List.[2]
Its preferred habitat is believed to be secondary forest or the upper story of primeval forest. Dryas monkeys feed mainly on plant materials, primarily fruit, flowers, and young leaves, though they will also take some invertebrates.
So far it is known that the Dryas monkey is a fairly typical forest guenon. Body size varies from 40 to 55 cm, with a tail an additional 50–75 cm. Adults weigh between 4 and 7 kg, with marked sexual dimorphism. Its markings are similar to those of the Diana monkey, except that its lower back and forelimbs are greenish-grey in colour.
Group sizes range up to 30 individuals, with only a single adult male. The gestation period is 5 months, with normally a single infant being born. Sexual maturity is reached after 3 years. In captivity, a lifespan of up to 19 years has been recorded.
References
- ^ Groves, C. (2005). Wilson, D. E., & Reeder, D. M, eds. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 156. OCLC 62265494. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=12100462.
- ^ a b Hart, J., Butynski, T.M. & Hurley, M. (2008). Cercopithecus dryas. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 12 November 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as critically endangered
- ^ Colyn, M.; Gautier-Hion, A., & Vanden Audenaerde, D. T. (1991). "Cercopithecus dryas Schwarz 1932 and C. salongo Vanden Audenaerde, Thys 1977 are the same species with an age-related coat pattern". Folia Primatologica 56 (56): 167–170. doi:10.1159/000156543.
External links
- African Mammals Databank entry for the Dryas Monkey
- FIRST FIELD STUDY OF THE SALONGO MONKEY
- new monkey species - Cercopithecus salongo
Categories:- IUCN Red List critically endangered species
- Mammals of Africa
- Cercopithecine monkeys
- Animals described in 1932
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