Piliocolobus parmentieri

101.

Lomami Red Colobus

Piliocolobus parmentieri

French: Colobe de la Lomami / German: Lomami-Stummelaffe / Spanish: Colobo rojo del Lomani

Taxonomy. Colobus rufomitratus parmentieri Colyn & Verheyen, 1987,

Democratic Republic of Congo, Mabobi (0° 0’ 36” N, 25° 11° 24” E), left bank of Lualaba (= Upper Congo) River.

Modern taxonomic arrangements of the colobus monkeys either divide the red colobus and the Olive Colobus into two genera, Piliocolobus and Procolobus, respectively, or consider them to belong to one genus, Procolobus, with two subgenera (Procolobus for the Olive Colobus and Piliocolobus for the red colobus). We follow here C. P. Groves in his publications of 2001 and 2007 in using two genera. Monotypic.

Distribution. C DR Congo, between the Lomami and Lualaba rivers, S to about the Ruiki and Lutanga rivers.

Descriptive notes. There are no specific measurements available; weight 9.9-2 kg (males) and 7-5 kg (females). The Lomami Red Colobus is among the smallest of the Central African red colobus, and it has a longer tail than the Tshuapa Red Colobus (P. tholloni). Furis red with black on the mid-back, shoulders, and upper arms. Underside, and inner surfaces of limbs are grayish-white. Hands and feet are contrastingly black. Tail is reddish basally, becoming gradually darker along its length but never quite black. Crown is speckled reddish, bordered in front by a black band that extends to the temples. A long black tuft is present at the base of each ear. Facial skin is black, except for narrow depigmented zones along lips, chin, base of the nose, and upper eyelids. The Lomami Red Colobus is unusual among Central African red colobus in having no prominent tuft on the head (“panache”). Its mtDNA affinities are with other East Central African red colobus species, but it does not seem particularly closely related to its neighbors in eastern DR Congo.

Habitat. Mostly lowland tropical rainforest.

Food and Feeding. Diets include young leaves and mature leaves, fruit, flowers, buds, and possibly seeds.

Breeding. There is no information available for this species.

Activity patterns. Lomami Red Colobus is diurnal and arboreal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no information available for this species.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. The Lomami Red Colobus has not been assessed on The IUCN Red List. It is not found in any protected areas, and no information is available concerning its conservation status.

Bibliography. Colyn & Verheyen (1987), Gautier-Hion et al. (1999), Groves (2001, 2007b), Grubb et al. (2003).