Piliocolobus badius (Kerr, 1792)

Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Cercopithecidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 550-755 : 705

87.

Upper Guinea Red Colobus

Piliocolobus badius

French: Colobe bai / German: Roter Stummelaffe / Spanish: Colobo rojo occidental

Other common names: Upper Guinea Bay Colobus, West African / Western Red Colobus

Taxonomy. Simia (Cercopithecus) badius Kerr, 1792 ,

Sierra Leone (probably Sherbro Island).

Modern taxonomic arrangements of the colobus monkeys either divide the red colobus and the Olive Colobus into two genera, Piliocolobus and Procolobus , respectively, or consider them to belong to one genus, Procolobus , with two subgenera ( Procolobus for the Olive Colobus and Pilwcolobus for the red colobus). We follow here C. P. Groves in his publications of 2001 and 2007 in using two genera. The exact boundary between P. badius and P. temminckii is unclear, but the two are believed to be geographically separated. P. badius and P. waldronae meet at the Bandama River, Ivory Coast. Monotypic.

Distribution. Sierra Leone (W limit Rokupr, 9° N, 12° 34’ 48” W), S Guinea, Liberia, and W Ivory Coast (E to the Nzi-Bandama River system).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 50-63 cm (males) and 43-63 cm (females), tail 63— 77 cm (males) and 63-77 cm (females); weight 9-12.5 kg (males) and 6-9 kg (females). These measurements, based mainly on animals from Ivory Coast, reveal some difference in size between males and females, but weights for Sierra Leone specimens show no such dimorphism: males 8-3 kg (6.4-9.6 kg) and females 8-2 kg (7-10 kg). Body of the Upper Guinea Red Colobus is a deep shining black, the tone extending to upper parts of limbs and forward to the forehead. Undersides, including inner surfaces of limbs,all of lower limb segments, and cheeks, are a deep reddish maroon. Pubic area and hind parts of thighs are white. Tail is mostly red, but it becomes darker toward the tip. Face is wrinkled, nearly black, but pink (depigmented) around eyes and mouth. Nostrils are raised on a prominentfleshy base. Skull is broad with a broad palate and short face. Adult female Upper Guinea Red Colobus have a small clitoris, and periodic sexual swellings are large. Infants are gray above and whitish below, with red tones on hands, feet, and tail.

Habitat. Primary or mature old growth moist forest. The Upper Guinea Red Colobusis more dependent on to tall forest than Temminck’s Red Colobus ( P. temminckii ).

Food and Feeding. The Upper Guinea Red Colobus eats young leaves, seeds, mature leaf parts, fruits, and flowers.

Breeding. Although somewhat variable, the female Upper Guinea Red Colobus does display a substantial pink sexual swelling during the periovulatory period. Breeding occurs throughout the year. The interbirth interval is ¢.24 months. A single young is born after a gestation of 198 days. Neonates are the same general color as adults but slightly lighter (i.e. grayish on the back with a whitish ventral surface and reddish or orange tints on sides,tail, limbs, and extremities). Subadult males have a large red perineal organ around the anus between the ischial callosities.

Activity patterns. The Upper Guinea Red Colobus is diurnal and arboreal. At Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, groups spent c.55% their day feeding, 37% resting, 5% moving, and 3% engaging in other activities.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Daily movements of the Upper Guinea Red Colobus are ¢.822-922 m, and groups occupy home ranges of 50-65 ha. Group size is 33-90 individuals, with multiple adult males and females. Males stay in their natal groups, and females typically disperse. Females spend more time with males than they do with other females. They groom males and other females equally and support males in conflict. According to A. Korstjens’s study, males groom infrequently and do not support females in conflicts. Upper Guinea Red Colobus suffer from predation by Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and they travel with Diana Monkeys ( Cercopithecus diana ) as a way of mutually enhancing their ability to detect Chimpanzees and other predators such as crowned hawk-eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus).

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List (as Procolobus badius ). The Upper Guinea Red Colobusis listed as Class B in the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It is threatened mainly by habitat loss and hunting. Deforestation through logging, charcoal production, and clearance for agricultural land, including plantations, has occurred over much of its distribution, especially in the last century. Subsistence and commercial hunting have severely affected populations of the Upper Guinea Red Colobus . Improved access to remote forest via logging roads has increased hunting. Much ofits distribution has been impacted by civil conflict since 1989, and it is not yet clear to what extent this has affected populations in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ivory Coast. The Upper Guinea Red Colobus occurs in Tai Forest National Park in Ivory Coast; Sapo National Park in Liberia; and Outamba-Kilimi National Park, Gola Forest Reserve, and Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Sierra Leone. Hunting has reportedly extirpated it in four forest reserves and Marahoué National Park between the Sassandra and Bandama rivers in Ivory Coast.

Bibliography. Bshary & Noé (1997a), Fashing (2011), Groves (2001, 2007b), Grubb et al. (2003), Holenweg et al. (1996), Kitchener (1969), Korstjens (2001a), Kuhn (1972), Struhsaker (1981b, 2010), Wachter et al. (1997).

Figures

Distribution. Sierra Leone (W limit Rokupr, 9° N, 12° 34’ 48” W), S Guinea, Liberia, and W Ivory Coast (E to the Nzi-Bandama River system).