Allen's swamp monkey
Allenopithecus nigroviridis
SUBFAMILY
Cercopithecinae
TRIBE
Cercopithecini
TAXONOMY
Allenopithecus nigroviridis (Pocock, 1907), upper Congo River, Zaire. This species was originally included in the genus Cercopithecus, but it resembles members of the tribe Papionini in a number of features and is best allocated to the separate genus Allenopithecus.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Allen's swamp guenon; French: Cercopithèque d'Allen; German: Schwarzgrüne Meerkatze.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Fur greenish gray dorsally and pale gray (sometimes with an orange tinge) ventrally. Webbing is present between the fingers and toes. The ischial callosities are fused across the mid-line in adult males. In males, the scrotum is pale blue. Average head and body length: 18 in (45 cm); average tail length: 17.5 in (43.5 cm). There is marked sexual dimorphism in body size. Body mass: 13 lb 9 oz (6.15 kg) for males and 7 lb (3.20 kg) for females.
DISTRIBUTION
Central Congo basin in eastern Congo-Brazzaville and western Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaïre).
HABITAT
Swampy forest areas and regularly flooded parts of riverine forests.
BEHAVIOR
Diurnal and semi-arboreal, typically occurring relatively low down in the forest. Swim well and may dive into rivers to escape from predators. Live in multimale groups of moderate size, 23 to 57, with very few rules.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Often forage on the ground. Diet primarily consists of fruit, supplemented by flowers, nectar, roots and animal prey (e.g., insects and, reputedly, fish).
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Polygamous. Single births are typical. Females have a prominent sexual swelling that varies in size and coloration across the cycle. Little-studied in captivity, so reproductive characteristics such as the gestation period are unknown.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Listed as Near Threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Hunted for bushmeat, particularly by hunters operating from boats.
