Colobus satanas, Waterhouse, 1838
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6867065 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6864266 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/CE199B17-FF88-FF8E-FA28-6806F9D2FDA8 |
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treatment provided by |
Jonas |
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scientific name |
Colobus satanas |
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85. View Plate 45: Cercopithecidae
Black Colobus
French: Colobe noir / German: Schwarzer Stummelaffee / Spanish: Colobo negro
Other common names: Bioko Black Colobus (satanas), Gabon Black Colobus (anthracinus)
Taxonomy. Colobus satanas Waterhouse, 1838 View in CoL ,
Equatorial Guinea, Fernando Poo (= Bioko Island).
There is very little external difference between the two subspecies of C. satanas . Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution. C.s.satanasWaterhouse,1838—Bioko1(EquatorialGuinea).
C. s. anthracinus Le Conte, 1857 — E & SW Cameroon (S of Sanaga River and as far E as the Batouri and Lomié districts), Equatorial Guinea, W & C Gabon (inland to Lopé National Park and with unconfirmed reports of sparse populations E of the Ogooué and Ivindo rivers), and W Republic of the Congo; possibly in NW Angola (Cabinda). View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 50-77 cm, tail ¢.80 cm; weight 10-15 kg (males) and 10-11 kg (females). The Black Colobusis a large, entirely black colobine, with an untufted tail. There is a pronounced mantle, and hairs on cheeks and forehead are quite long. An occipital crest of hair rises from a whorl on the front of the crown, and there is a prominent brow fringe. Face and ears are naked; nose is comparatively short. Skull is less prognathous than in other species of Colobus , and the braincase has a distinctive transverse “saddle” behind the bregma. The “Bioko Black Colobus ” (C. s. satanas ) has longer hair than the mainland form, the “Gabon Black Colobus ™ (C. s. anthracinus). The roaring call of the adult male is primitive; it is preceded by a loud “sneeze” and is quite different from those of other Colobus .
Habitat. Dense primary rainforest, mature secondary rainforest, and coastal evergreen, lowland moist, montane, and swamp forest; occasionally coastal sand dune and wooded meadows. The elevational range of the Black Colobus is 500-3011 m. It appears unable to survive in degraded secondary forest and is rare or absent in forests where logging has reduced canopy height. On Bioko Island,it has been observed in montane heathland. It avoids areas disturbed by humans. It is typically found high in the canopy.
Food and Feeding. Black Colobus eat large quantities of seeds, along with young leaves and mature leaves (particularly those of lianas), unripe fruits, flowers, and buds. Mature leaves are less favored, and they are only eaten with regularity in sand-dune forest. Sodium-rich soil is also consumed. The Black Colobus has a remarkable tolerance for high concentrations of poisonous tannins in leaves and, as a consequence, is able to live in areas where other colobines cannot. It also appears to rely more heavily upon seeds as a dietary component. When food is abundant, groups may feed in the same tree for several days.
Breeding. During the periovulatory period of the Black Colobus ,the clitoris protrudes, but females do not otherwise display a sexual swelling. There is no perineal organ in the male. A single young is born after a gestation of 195 days. Infants are brown, not white as in other species of Colobus .
Activity patterns. Black Colobus are diurnal and arboreal. At Douala-Edea in Cameroon, D. McKey and P. Waterman found them to spend 60% of their time resting, 23% feeding, 13% engaging in social behavior, and 4% moving.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Black Colobus move up to 850 m/ day in home ranges of 70-570 ha. Their groups contain 7-30 individuals, but on Bioko Island, they are typically smaller (7-10 individuals). Groups usually contain several adult males. In 1978, the population density in Foret des Abeilles in central Gabon was estimated at ¢.25-30 ind/km?, and in the Douala-Edéa Wildlife Reserve in Cameroon at ¢.38 ind/km?.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List, including the subspecies anthracinus, but the nominate subspecies satanas is classified as Endangered. The Black Colobusis listed as Class B in the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It is threatened by habitat loss due to logging and forest clearance for agriculture. Its dependence on high-canopy forests make it particularly susceptible to tree felling, and it is now rare or absent in those parts ofits distribution where there has been extensive logging that breaks up the canopy. The Black Colobus is also widely hunted forits meat and skin, with populations on Bioko Island being under considerable pressure. There are no estimates ofthe total population of Black Colobus , but it is now present only in protected or undisturbed inaccessible areas. The largest numbers are thought to be in Lopé National Park, Gabon, where there is a population of 50,000-55,900 individuals. Further data on the distribution and status of the Black Colobus are required. More effective protection is also needed against hunting and habitat loss. The Bioko Black Colobus has undergone the biggest decline of all Bioko’s primates—more than 60% from 1986 to 2006. It was common on Pico Basilé in 1986 but has been heavily hunted since 2000. It is becoming increasingly rare outside the Gran Caldera and Southern Highlands. It occurs in Basilé National Park and Gran Caldera and Southern Highlands Scientific Reserve (Bioko). The Gabon Black Colobus has fared somewhat better butis still declining, largely because of habitat loss and hunting. In mainland Equatorial Guinea, for example,its distribution was reduced to one-third ofits former size by 1967. It occurs in Dipikar and Douala-Edéa reserves in Cameroon, Monte Alen National Park in Equatorial Guinea, and the Lopé and the Gamba complex of protected areas in Gabon. The Gabon Black Colobus is also found in Camp Ma’an National Park and Dja Biosphere Reserve in Cameroon and Odzala National Park in the Republic of the Congo.
Bibliography. Brugiére (1998), Brugiere & Fleury (2000), Fashing (2011), Fleury & Gautier-Hion (1997, 1999), Groves (2001, 2007b), Harrison (1986), Hearn et al. (2006), McKey & Waterman (1982), McKey et al. (1981), Sabater Pi (1973).
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