Arctocebus aureus, de Winton, 1902
|
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6632647 |
|
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6632612 |
|
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039C9423-FFFA-0874-316B-D4D25034FE36 |
|
treatment provided by |
Carolina |
|
scientific name |
Arctocebus aureus |
| status |
|
Golden Angwantibo
French: Potto doré / German: Gold-Barenmaki / Spanish: Poto dorado
Other common names: Golden Potto
Taxonomy. Arctocebus aureus de Winton, 1902 View in CoL ,
80 km from mouth of Benito River, Equatorial Guinea .
This species was for many years considered a subspecies of A. calabarensis . Monotypic.
Distribution. Cameroon (S Sanaga River) S and E to the Congo/Ubangiriver system in Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni), Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Angola; it may be present in W DR Congo. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 22-26 cm, tail 1-2 cm; weight 200-270 g. The Golden Angwantibo is much smaller and more slender than the Calabar Angwantibo, with golden-red dorsal pelage and reddish-buftf underparts. Small and woolly with a vestigial tail that can be mistaken for male testes in the field. Sexes are alike in size and color. The muzzle is pointed, and ears are small, rounded, and naked. Limbs are slender and the second and third digits on the hand are greatly reduced. Juveniles are darker than adults.
Habitat. Primary and secondary rainforest and high deciduous forest, especially in tree-fall areas at low to medium elevations. Golden Angwantibos are sometimes found on farmland edges and plantations. Individuals spend much of their time in the tangled shrub layer. They tend to use branches and lianas of small size classes around which they can firmly clasp their hands and feet. They prefer dense forest that provides continuous walkways through the vegetation.
Food and Feeding. Diet is known from limited observations: analyses of stomach contents and controlled taste tests of wild animals in field conditions. The Golden Angwantibo is mainly insectivorous, consuming animal prey, especially caterpillars and other noxious prey ignored by the up to five sympatric nocturnal primate species with which it might occur. Insects are supplemented with fruits and gums. In Gabon, 85% of the diet was insects, 14% fruit, and 1% wood fiber, with the most common prey being caterpillars (65%) and beetles (20%). The Golden Angwantibo often forages in the undergrowth below a height of 5 m but occasionally to 15 m. It sometimes feeds on the ground, probably using scent and olfaction. Angwantibos hold caterpillars by the head with their mouth and wipe their hands along the caterpillar’s body, for up to 20 seconds, to removeirritating hairs. Captive angwantibos have refused fruit but have accepted all insect species offered to them.
Breeding. The Golden Angwantibo gives birth to one infant weighing 24-30 g and can give birth twice a year. Births can occur throughout the year, but there seem to be fewer during the dry season. Parturition takes place on a branch. Gestation is 131-136 days, with weaning at 100-130 days. Interbirth interval is 4-5 months. Sexual maturity is reached at 9-10 months of age.
Activity patterns. The Golden Angwantibos are arboreal and nocturnal, and they move slowly in dense vegetation. Like the Calabar Angwantibo, it adopts a threat posture when disturbed. Guard hairs on the back allow an individual to feel its environment and also probably allow it to detect predators or dangers on conspicuous parts ofits body. If disturbed in a tree, the Golden Angwantibo may roll into a ball and fall to the ground or a lower branch. It relies on small branches that it can clasp, giving it a sense of security. It sleeps in dense tangles of vegetation where it is protected from sun, wind, rain, and predators.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Golden Angwantibo has a steady non-leaping locomotion, and it relies on continuous supports. No study has been done on its home range. In north-eastern Gabon, Golden Angwantibos seem to forage alone c.97% of the time and in pairs only ¢.2% of the time. They sleep singly except for a mother with her infant. They utter few audible vocalizations and scent-mark copiously. Studies of similar Asian lorises, however, suggest that high-frequency whistles that are difficult for humans to hear may be emitted by the Golden Angwantibo. Known vocalizations are a “tsic” for mother—infant contact, a deep two-phase groan (inhalation, exhalation) for threat, and a “wheet” for distress.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. The Golden Angwantibo is listed as a Class B species under the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources; Class B species are protected but may be hunted, collected, or captured only “under special authorization granted by the competent authority.” Because ofits small size, the Golden Agwantibo is not hunted by humans to any great extent, but like the Calabar Angwantibo, loss of habitat is a significant threat, particularly broad-scale disturbances that removed forest undergrowth. The Golden Agwantibo may occur in Monte Alen National Park in Equatorial Guinea and in some newly established parks in Gabon, but these areas have not been adequately surveyed.
Bibliography. Charles-Dominique (1966, 1971, 1974a, 1974b, 1977a), Groves (2001), Hill (1953d), Jenkins (1987), Kingdon (1997), Maier (1980), Manley (1967), Sanderson (1940), Schwartz & Beutel (1995), Schwarz (1931b), Thomas (1913).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
