Piliocolobus tholloni (A. Milne-Edwards, 1886)

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 : 711-712

103.

Tshuapa Red Colobus

Piliocolobus tholloni

French: Colobe de Thollon / German: Thollon-Stummelaffe / Spanish: Colobo rojo del Congo

Other common names: Thollon's Red Colobus

Taxonomy. Colobus tholloni Milne-Edwards, 1886 ,

Democratic Republic of Congo, Lower Congo.

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 Piliocolobus for the red colobus). We follow here C. P. Groves in his publications of 2001 and 2007 in using two genera. Monotypic.

Distribution. DR Congo E of the Congo River and S of the great bend of the river, the E limit is not the Lualaba Riveritself, but rather the Lomami River, and bounded by the Kasai and Sankuru rivers in the S.

Descriptive notes. Head-body c.64 cm (males) and 58-60 cm (females), tail c.63 cm (males) and 41-69 cm (females); no specific data are available for body weight. On the basis of only three specimens, the Tshuapa Red Colobus seems to be a rather large species, with a very short tail. Fur is uniformly foxy-red above, although somewhat darker on shoulders and tail, and creamy-white below. Crown is light bay to mahogany. Circumfacial hair is short and black, with only posterior parts of cheeks light-colored like underparts. Legs are orange-rufous, paler than arms, and hands, feet, and tail tip are dark to black. There are long black tufts at the base ofthe tail. Hairs at the sides ofthe tail-base develop into along “panache” (tuft). Face is slaty, with a trace of pale on eyelids and lips. Ischial callosities are pink or slaty. Like other East Central African red colobus, mtDNA analysis shows unexpected heterogeneity; specimens from the same locality show very divergent mitochondrial lineages. Skull of the Tshuapa Red Colobus is distinctively long and narrow, small-toothed, and very prognathous, with a large sagittal crest, which is more extensive than in other forms.

Habitat. Lowland flooded moist primary rainforest.

Food and Feeding. The Tshuapa Red Colobus eats mostly young leaves, but seeds can be a substantial part of its diet.

Breeding. The female Tshuapa Red Colobus displays a substantial pink sexual swelling during the periovulatory period.

Activity patterns. The Tshuapa Red Colobusis diurnal and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Tshuapa Red Colobus has never been studied in the wild and very little is known about it. Groups of more than 60 individuals have been reported.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red Lust (as Procolobus rufomitratus tholloni ). The Tshuapa Red Colobusis believed to have undergone a population decline on the order of 20-25% over the last three generations, due mainly to intensive hunting (particularly during the period of the Congo War, 1996-2003). Habitat loss for timber and agricultural land likely affects some populations locally. Further research into hunting may reveal that the Tshuapa Red Colobus could qualify as Vulnerable, especially because it is more heavily hunted than many of the other primates in the Congo Basin. It occurs in Salonga National Park and Tayna Gorilla Reserve in DR Congo.

Bibliography. Groves (2001, 2007b), Grubb et al. (2003), Maisels et al. (1994).

Figures

Distribution. DR Congo E of the Congo River and S of the great bend of the river, the E limit is not the Lualaba Riveritself, but rather the Lomami River, and bounded by the Kasai and Sankuru rivers in the S.