Piliocolobus semlikiensis, Colyn, 1991

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 : 709-710

97.

Semliki Red Colobus

Piliocolobus semlikiensis

French: Colobe de la Semliki / German: Semliki-Stummelaffe / Spanish: Colobo rojo del Semliki

Taxonomy. Colobus badius semlikiensis Colyn, 1991 ,

Democratic Republic of Congo, Tungula (= Kilia), right bank of Semliki River.

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 Pil-1ocolobus for the red colobus). We follow here C. P. Groves in his publications of 2001 and 2007 in using two genera. Over a wide area in north-eastern DR Congo (broadly speaking, the Ituri Forest: from the mountains west of Lake Edward west nearly to the Lualaba, and from the Aruwimi-Ituri south to the River Maiko) occurs what is almost certainly a hybrid swarm between P. semlikiensis , P. oustaleti , and P. langi . Hybrids most frequently have bright red anterior body, shoulders, and arms; a dark “orangey-brown” mid-region; black rump,tail, and legs; and gray to yellow underparts, but they may be chestnut-brown, or they may lack the tripartite distribution of colors on their upperparts, or they may be mostly dark red-brown. The name P. ellioti (or it may be treated as if it were a subspecies of one of the other taxa) has been applied to these Ituri Forest populations, but there seemslittle doubt of their hybrid status. Red colobus occur in the Kahuzi-Biéga National Park, but their taxonomic status is unclear. Monotypic.

Distribution. NE DR Congo,in a very small area (c.0° 20°-0° 50’ N) between the middle Semliki River Valley and the Ruwenzori Mts (where there are no red colobus) to the E.

Descriptive notes. There are no specific measurements available. Body of the Semliki Red Colobusis anteriorly gray both above and below, with a blackish mantle. Arms are mostly brick-red, and hands are black. Legs are blackish-gray, with a trace of reddish, and tail is black. The black forehead band reaches the ears; a frontal tuft is present; throat, whiskers, and sides of head are reddish; and the nape is brown. There is a prominent tuft at the base of each ear, and a small “panache” (tuft of hair) is present.

Habitat. Ironwood ( Cynometra , Fabaceae ) forest.

Food and Feeding. Diets include young leaves and mature leaves, fruit, flowers, buds, and possibly seeds.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. The Semliki Red Colobus is diurnal and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. The Semliki Red Colobus has not been assessed on The IUCN Red List. No information is available concerning its conservation status.

Bibliography. Colyn (1991), Gautier-Hion et al. (1999), Groves (2001, 2007b), Grubb et al. (2003).

Figures

Distribution. NE DR Congo,in a very small area (c.0° 20°-0° 50’ N) between the middle Semliki River Valley and the Ruwenzori Mts (where there are no red colobus) to the E.