Cercopithecus pogonias, Bennett, 1833

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 : 683

66.

Crowned Monkey

Cercopithecus pogonias

French: Cercopithéque couronné / German: Kronenmeerkatze / Spanish: Cercopiteco coronado

Other common names: Crested Guenon, Crowned Guenon; Black-footed Crowned Monkey/Black-footed Guenon (nigripes), Golden-bellied Crowned Monkey (pogonias), Gray's Crowned Monkey / Gray's Guenon (grayi)

Taxonomy. Cercopithecus pogonias Bennett, 1833 ,

Equatorial Guinea, Bioko Island.

In his Field Guide to African Mammals published in 1997, J. Kingdon included the following species in his C. mona superspecies group: C. mona , C. campbelli , C. lowe, C. denti , C. wolfi , and C. pogonias . C. P. Groves in his 2001 Primate Taxonomy followed this same arrangement for his mona species group. P. Grubb and colleagues in 2003 did likewise, but they considered the form wolfi to be a subspecies of C. pogonias . A fourth subspecies schwarzianus named by H. Schouteden in 1946 from Mayumbe in DR Congo, similar to gray: but darker, is recognized by some authors. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

C.p.pogoniasBennett,1833—SENigeria(fromtheCrossRiver),NWCameroon(NofSanagaRiver),andBiokoI(EquatorialGuinea).

C.p.grayiFraser,1850—SCameroon(SofthemiddleSanagaRiver),SWCentralAfricanRepublic,NWDRCongo(EoftheUbangiRiver,WtotheItimbiriRiverBasinNoftheCongoRiver),NEGabon,NRepublicoftheCongo,andpossiblyAngola(Cabinda).

C. p. nigripes Du Chaillu, 1860 — Equatorial Guinea, W Gabon, Republic of the Congo (between the Ogooué and Congo rivers).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 50-57 cm (males) and 44-48 cm (females), tail 69-87 cm (males) and 60-74 cm (females); weight 4-5—4-7 kg (males) and 3.1-3.5 kg (females). As the common name suggests, the Crowned Monkey is distinguished by a crest of black hair on the crown of the head. The “Mohawk™shaped crest runs medially, dividing patches of speckled yellow fur on either side of the crown. Dark color on upper nose and around eyes, along with dark hair on temples,also gives the Crowned Monkey a “masked” appearance. Ear tufts are prominent and pointed. Lower muzzle is flesh-colored, and ear tufts are orange or yellow. Back is variably agouti-gray, and a dorsal band of darker hair runs from shoulders to base oftail, broadening posteriorly. In contrast, underside, including chest, belly, and inner limb surfaces, are bright golden-orange. Outer surfaces of limbs are variably speckled gray or black. Tail is dark above and golden-brown below for about two-thirds ofits length, becoming entirely black at the tip. The “Golden-bellied Crowned Monkey” (C. p. pogonias ) has a sharply defined black saddle. Its flanks are speckled with white, and its lower limbs are yellowish, with only toes being black. Median black-striped crest on the crown extends forward to brows. “Gray’s Crowned Monkey” (C. p. grayi) can be distinguished by marginally different coloration: dark chestnut-red above with a dark-red saddle and a lemon-yellow or whitish underside. Its flanks and thighs are orange, and its lower limb segments are buffy-gray with only toes black. Cheeks and ear tufts are lemon-yellow or whitish. As with the Golden-bellied Crowned Monkey,its crest extends forward to brows. The “Black-footed Crowned Monkey” (C. p. nigripes ) is similar to the Goldenbellied Crowned Monkey in having a dark-gray upper body, with a sharply defined black saddle and an orange or yellow underside, but with lower limb segments buffygray, whitish speckling on flanks, and entirely black hands and feet. Its crest ends well above brows, so that yellow areas meet in the midline and form a U-shape.

Habitat. Lowland tropical forest, especially primary high-canopy forest, but also mature secondary forest up to submontane and montane elevations, and gallery forest extending into savannas. In Idenau, Cameroon, the Crowned Monkey uses higher canopy levels than does any other species. About 50% of observations of the Crown Monkeys in Idenau were at heights of 17 m or more above the ground. In southeastern Bioko, they were most frequently seen at heights of 10-24 m. On the edge of Mount Cameroon, they were most abundant in mature forest, moderately abundant in older secondary forest, and absent in young secondary forest.

Food and Feeding. The Crowned Monkey feeds mainly on fruits and seeds, supplemented with leaves, shoots, flowers, and insects (especially orthopterans). In Lopé National Park, Gabon, the Black-footed Crowned Monkey spent 78% ofits feeding time on fruits and seeds, 9% on flowers, 6:5% on leaves, and 6-5% on animal matter. In Makokou, Gabon, stomach contents of Gray’s Crowned Monkeys killed by hunters contained, on average, 78% (by dry weight) fruits and seeds, 12% animal remains (beetles, caterpillars, and grasshoppers), and 6% leaves. The Golden-bellied Crowned Monkey feeds in higher levels in the forest canopy than other guenon species. In Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve, Cameroon, 50% of feeding heights were above 21 m. Despite its propensity to use the upper canopy, it goes to the ground to raid Crops in some areas.

Breeding. There is no specific information for this species, but Gray’s Crowned Monkey in north-eastern Gabon gives birth in November—April, coinciding with the driest time of the year.

Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Social groups of Crowned Monkeys are 9-19 individuals (average 13-14) in south-western Cameroon. They are most commonly composed of a single adult male and several adult females. Observations indicate that Crowned Monkeys move over wide areas. In Idenau, Cameroon, groups of Crowned Monkeys move over areas two to three times as large as groups of Puttynosed Monkeys ( C. nictitans ) in the same forest. Movements are influenced by fruit abundance and are therefore seasonal. In Central African forests, groups of Crowned Monkeys have home ranges of at least 100 ha, with travel distances of 1500 m/day. The adult male has a characteristic booming call, uttered when the group is dispersed. They also give territorial calls referred to as “hacks.”

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List, including the subspecies gray: and nigripes , but the nominate subspecies pogonias is classified as Vulnerable. The Crowned Monkeyis listed as Class B in the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It has been affected in parts of its distribution by habitat loss through deforestation, agriculture, and human settlement, and it is also hunted for meat. It is relatively widespread and is present in several protected areas, including Korup National Park in Cameroon (an important stronghold to ensure its survival in the Cameroon-Nigeria border area), Odzala National Park in Republic of the Congo, Monte Alen National Park in Equatorial Guinea, and Salonga National Park in DR Congo. Although the Crowned Monkey is one of the smaller species of Cercopithecus , it might be more vulnerable to hunting than other species because ofits relatively narrow feeding and habitat requirements. Nevertheless, based on its widespread range and slow rate of decline, the Crowned Monkey is not thought to be threatened. Although no major declines have been reported on Bioko Island, the Golden-bellied Crowned Monkey on the mainland is heavily hunted in many parts of its distribution where anti-poaching patrols are absent. This heavy hunting, combined with habitatloss, has lead to a decline of ¢.30% over the past 27 years (three generations).

Bibliography. Booth (1955), Butynski et al. (2009), Gartlan & Struhsaker (1972), Gautier-Hion (1980), Gautier-Hion et al. (1999), Groves (2001), Maté & Colell (1995), Oates (2011), Oates, Hart, Butynski & Groves (2008), Schouteden (1944), Struhsaker (1969), Tutin et al. (1997).

Figures

59. Dryas Monkey (Cercopithecus dryas), 60. Diana Monkey (Cercopithecus diana), 61. Roloway Monkey (Cercopithecus roloway), 62. De Brazza’s Monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus), 63. Mona Monkey (Cercopithecus mona), 64. Campbell's Monkey (Cercopithecus campbelli), 65. Lowe's Monkey (Cercopithecus lowei), 66. Crowned Monkey (Cercopithecus pogonias), 67. Wolf's Monkey (Cercopithecus wolf), 68. Dent's Monkey (Cercopithecus dent)

Subspecies and Distribution. C.p.pogoniasBennett,1833—SENigeria(fromtheCrossRiver),NWCameroon(NofSanagaRiver),andBiokoI(EquatorialGuinea). C.p.grayiFraser,1850—SCameroon(SofthemiddleSanagaRiver),SWCentralAfricanRepublic,NWDRCongo(EoftheUbangiRiver,WtotheItimbiriRiverBasinNoftheCongoRiver),NEGabon,NRepublicoftheCongo,andpossiblyAngola(Cabinda). C. p. nigripes Du Chaillu, 1860 — Equatorial Guinea, W Gabon, Republic of the Congo (between the Ogooué and Congo rivers).