Miopithecus ogouensis, Kingdon, 1997

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 : 669

48.

Northern Talapoin Monkey

Miopithecus ogouensis

French: Talapoin du Gabon / German: Nordliche Zwergmeerkatze / Spanish: Talapoin septentrional

Other common names: Gabon Talapoin Monkey

Taxonomy. Miopithecus ogouensis Kingdon, 1997 .

No specific type locality given. Restricted by C. P. Groves in 2001 as “endemic to the equatorial coastal watersheds between Cabinda and the River Nyong.”

The genus Miopithecus was considered monotypic, ranging from southern Cameroon to northern Angola, until 1969 when A. B. Machado showed that there were two species: one north and the other south of the Congo River. J. Kingdon described M. ogouensis as the form to the north of the Congo River, with the Ogooué River Basin at the center of its distribution. Monotypic.

Distribution. Equatorial W Africa from S Cameroon (S of the Sanaga River) to NW Angola (Cabinda), including Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the W Republic of the Congo; there is what would appear to be an outlying population along a N tributary of the Sanaga, the Djerem River and one ofits tributaries, at ¢.6° N.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 34 cm (males) and 28 cm (females), tail 43 cm (males) and 37 cm (females); weight 1-4 kg (males) and 1-1 kg (females). The Northern Talapoin Monkey is the smallest monkey in Africa. Its head is relatively large compared to its overall size, thus giving it a juvenile appearance. Dorsal surfaces are yellowish olive-green, speckled with gray, and slightly tinged with yellow on limbs. Underside is creamy white, and tail is grayish khaki, darker toward the tip. Face is covered by golden-yellow whiskers. Muzzle, skin around eyes, and ears are pinkish, and nose is gray. Fingers and toes are grayish-pink. Scrotum is large and pale blue. Females have cyclical pink perineal swellings during the periovulatory period.

Habitat. Never more than a few hundred meters away from rivers and lakes in lowland equatorial riparian forest, swamps, seasonally flooded forest, or periodically flooded mangroves and coastal forests. Dense vegetation helps hide these small monkeys from predators. Talapoins are able to swim, and they will jump into a river and swim underwater to escape from predators.

Food and Feeding. Northern Talapoin Monkeys eat fruits, seeds, and insects, in addition to agricultural crops, bird eggs, and even honey. Fruit makes up ¢.80% of the diet, and favored fruits include plums, figs ( Ficus , Moraceae ), umbrella trees ( Musanga cecropioides, Urticaceae ), African grape ( Pseudospondias microcarpa , Anacardiaceae ), African ginger ( Aframomum , Zingiberaceae ), and flesh of oil palm nuts. They eat beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, butterflies, and spiders; bird eggs are taken opportunistically. The Northern Talapoin Monkey is also known to attack nests of some bees to eat honey or the brood. By preying on nests built above rivers, they are able to plunge into the water to avoid attacks by the disturbed insects. The Northern Talapoin Monkeyis also attracted out of the forest to feed on agricultural crops including, bananas, pawpaw, corn, maize, cucurbits, peanuts, and cassava. Leaves are rarely eaten.

Breeding. Reproduction in the Northern Talapoin Monkey is very seasonal. Females give birth during the short dry season (November—April) after a 5-5month gestation. It appears that some females are able to give birth annually, and in large troops more than 20 infants may be born within two months. Females reach sexual maturity at ¢.3—4 years of age and exhibit a genital swelling when sexually receptive.

Activity patterns. Both species of talapoins are very agile when moving through dense undergrowth; they are able to jump and leap with great precision. When climbing along thin vines,the tail is used as a counterbalance. When moving along the ground, they walk almost tripedally, using the tail as a third foot. They are also confident swimmers. Feeding is concentrated into one early morning bout, with another in late afternoon. Each group has a regular sleeping site that it occupies almost every night. Sleeping sites are always beside a river that is both wide and deep enough to allow individuals to escape from predators by dropping orjumping into the water.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Northern Talapoin Monkeys form large groups averaging more than 60 and sometimes exceeding 100 individuals. Groups have multiple adult males, with twice as many adult females and their young. Solitary males are very rare. Home ranges are 100-500 ha, indicating densities of 40-90 ind/km?*. Northern Talapoin Monkeys are very active and travel an average of 2300 m/day in search of food.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. The Northern Talapoin Monkeyis listed as Class B in the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It has no major threats. The Northern Talapoin Monkey is small and its choice of habitat deters hunters, who seldom choose to venture into swampy forest to chase after such small game. Their habitat also generally escapes conversion by logging and farming. Human settlements act in their favor because they exploit cultivated fruits ofriverside gardens. Densities of Northern Talapoin Monkeys double close to human settlements, and their overall numbers have probably increased,at least in the past, because of humans. Talapoins are found in a number of protected areas across their distribution.

Bibliography. Gautier-Hion et al. (1999), Groves (2000b, 2001), Kingdon (1997), Machado (1969), Maisels, Ambahe et al. (2006), Oates (1996b, 2011), Oates & Groves (2008c), Posada & Teelen (2011b).

Figures

46. Allen’s Swamp Monkey (Allenopithecus nigroviridis), 47. Southern Talapoin Monkey (Miopithecus talapoin), 48. Northern Talapoin Monkey (Miopithecus ogouensis)

Distribution. Equatorial W Africa from S Cameroon (S of the Sanaga River) to NW Angola (Cabinda), including Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the W Republic of the Congo; there is what would appear to be an outlying population along a N tributary of the Sanaga, the Djerem River and one ofits tributaries, at ¢.6° N.