Cephalophus weynsi, Thomas, 1901

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2011, Bovidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-779 : 727

255.

Weyns’s Duiker

Cephalophus weynsi

French: Céphalophe de Weyns / German: \Weyns-Ducker / Spanish: Duiker de Weyns

Taxonomy. Cephalophus weynsi Thomas, 1901 ,

near Stanley Falls, Zaire.

Sometimes considered to be a subspecies of C. callipygus . C. lestradei and C. johnston : were formerly classified as subspecies of C. weynsi . Monotypic.

Distribution. DR Congo and S Central African Republic.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 94-100. 3 cm, tail 12.7-20. 3 cm (both measurements based on three specimens from the Ituri Forest, DR Congo); weight 14-17. 5 kg. The coat of Weyns’s Duiker is short and smooth; a narrow strip of hair on the dorsal midline of the neck grows toward the head. The overall color is dull chestnut-brown or washed-out ocher. The belly is a paler version of the body color, and the groin is white. There is no distinct dorsal or ventral stripe, but there is a dark zone in the middle of the back. The tail has a black line down the center ofits upper surface. The legs are dark gray for most of their length (merging with the body color as high as the shoulder orstifle in some specimens), with a white streak on the inside of the forelimbs. The muzzle is chocolate brown or black, and the midline of the face is dark. The cheeks are pale brown, fading to white at the jaw line. The forehead has a mixture of black and red hairs, and the coronal tuft is red to deep maroon. The ears are short and rounded and have whitish margins. Horns are present in both sexes; those of females are significantly shorter. The bases of the horns are swollen. Horn length is 8:7-11. 1 cm for males, 3.3-5. 5 cm for females. Dental formulais10/3,C0/1,P3/3,M 3/3 (x2) = 32.

Habitat. Mixed primary and secondary forest. Weyns’s Duiker is found principally in large continuous blocks of closed forest, and does not appear to use gallery forests or savanna/forest mosaics. Densities in the Ituri Forest, DR Congo, average 11-2 ind/ km® (range 8-3-15-6 ind/km?), and are highest in unhunted areas. Weyns’s Duiker is present only at very low densities in monodominant Gilbertiodendron dewevrei forest in Ituri Forest.

Food and Feeding. Fruit is the principal component of the diet; foliage, flowers, fungi, and carrion are also consumed but have minor dietary importance.

Breeding. There is little specific information available for this species. Infant coloration is browner than in adults, with a speckled appearance. A captive male lived for 15 years.

Activity patterns. Diurnal. No other specific information is available for this species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. An unusually social forest duiker, Weyns’s Duiker is sometimes observed in groups of three to five animals.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The total population (including Johnston's Duiker, C. johnstoni and Lestrades’s Duiker, C. lestradei) is estimated to be 188,000 individuals. Weyns’s Duiker is common throughout most of its distribution, but is generally declining as a result of overhunting.

Bibliography. East (1999), Groves (2010), Groves & Grubb (1974), Grubb & Groves (2001), Hart (2001), Heymans (1975), IUCN/SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2008p), Karesh et al. (1995), Lydekker (1914), Weigl (2005), Wilson (2001).

Figures

On following pages: 259. Western White-bellied Duiker (Cephalophus leucogaster); 260. Uele White-bellied Duiker (Cephalophus arrhenii); 261. Red-flanked Duiker (Cephalophus rufilatus); 262. Natal Red Duiker (Cephalophus natalensis); 263. Harvey's Duiker (Cephalophus harveyi); 264. Black-fronted Duiker (Cephalophus nigrifrons); 265. ltombwe Duiker (Cephalophus hypoxanthus); 266. Rwenzori Duiker (Cephalophus rubidus); 267. Mount Elgon Duiker (Cephalophus fosteri); 268. Mount Kenya Duiker (Cephalophus hooki)

Distribution. DR Congo and S Central African Republic .