Syncerus mathewsi Hodgson 1847

12.

Virunga Buffalo

Syncerus mathewsi

French: Buffle de Mathews / German: Virunga-Buffel / Spanish: Blufalo de montana

Other common names: Mountain Buffalo

Taxonomy. Bos caffer mathews: Lydekker, 1904,

Mfumbiro district, on a volcanic mountain west of Kiva, on the borderland between the Congo Free State and German East Africa, in a forest at an elevation of between 7000 and 8000 feet. Modified by Lydekker in 1913 to Ruanda (= Rwanda), north-east of Lake Kivu, between Tanganyika and the Albert-Edward Nyanza.

The Virunga Buffalo was traditionally considered merely an intermediate form between the Cape Buffalo (S. caffer) and the Forest Buffalo (S. nanus), but current evidence suggests that it is not simply an intergrade, but a homogeneous taxon distinct from all other African buffaloes. S. cotton: is a synonym. Monotypic.

Distribution. Extreme SW Uganda, W Rwanda and E DR Congo (North Kivu province, where restricted to the forested mountains from the Virunga volcanoes north along the W side of Lake Edward).

Descriptive notes. No specific measurements are available, but the Virunga Buffalo is about the same size as the Lake Chad Buffalo (S. brachyceros). The Virunga Buffalo is stocky in build, like other African buffaloes, with relatively short legs. Both sexes of the Virunga Buffalo have smooth, dark brown to black coats, often with reddish tones, especially on females. Reddish individuals have a dark dorsal stripe and dark shanks. The horns of the Virunga Buffalo are about the same length, but less widely spread, than the horns of the Lake Chad Buffalo, so that the length of each horn is only somewhat less than the total span. Horn span is 62:1-74. 5 cm, and horn length along the curve is 53-72 cm. In males, the bases of horns are expanded and flattened but do not form a convex boss, as they do in the Cape Buffalo. The skull is massive but short and broad, and convex in profile. The greatest length of the skull is 45-50. 8 cm, and the mastoid breadth is 25:9-30. 2 cm. The mouth is wide, and the nose is moist and bare. The ears are generously fringed with hair, more so than on the Cape Buffalo or the Lake Chad Buffalo. Thetail is tufted (with dirty white hairs on the type specimen). No scent glands have been described in the Virunga Buffalo. Dental formula is I 0/3, C 0/1,P 3/3, M3/3 (x2) =32.

Habitat. The Virunga Buffalo is restricted to tropical montane forests and prefers open meadows. In Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, at elevations of 3000-3600 m, Virunga Buffaloes use a variety of habitats, including mountain meadows, bamboo stands, and alpine areas. Their densities, estimated from fecal counts, were highest in mountain meadow habitats throughout the year (4-157 ind/km?) but bamboo stands were important in March-May (10-5 ind/km?®) and September-November (9-5 ind/ km?). Alpine habitats were the least used of the available habitats (0-5-1-6 ind/km?).

Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but perhaps diets are most comparable to Forest Buffaloes.

Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but probably very comparable to other African buffaloes.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but probably comparable to other African buffaloes.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no specific information available for this species, but given this mountainous habitat, movements, home range, and group sizes are no doubt smaller than Cape and Lake Chad Buffaloes and perhaps more comparable to Forest Buffaloes.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (included under S. caffer as all African buffaloes). Range-wide, the number of African buffaloes has been greatly reduced from historic levels because of land-use changes, disease (notably anthrax, rinderpest, and bovine tuberculosis), poaching, and extended drought, and in localized areas, these are still common threats. Little is known about the current status of the Virunga Buffalo, but the Rwandan civil war in the 1990s may have decreased numbers, particularly on the west side of Parc National des Volcans.

Bibliography. East (1999), Estes (1991a, 1991b), Groves & Grubb (2011), Grubb (1972), Huffman (2010d), Kingdon (1982), Lydekker (1904, 1913), Nowak (1999), Plumptre & Harris (1995), Plumptre et al. (1997), Sinclair (1977), Van Hooft et al. (2000, 2002).