Cercopithecus mona (Schreber, 1774)

Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Cercopithecidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 550-755 : 681-682

63.

Mona Monkey

Cercopithecus mona

French: Cercopitheque mone / German: Mona-Meerkatze / Spanish: Cercopiteco mona

Other common names: Mona Guenon

Taxonomy. Simia mona Schreber, 1774 ,

Barbary.

In his Field Guide to African Mammals published in 1997, J. Kingdon included the following species in his mona superspecies group: C. mona , C. campbell, C. lowe, C. denti , C. wolfi , and C. pogonmias. C. P. Groves in his 2001 Primate Taxonomy followed this same arrangementfor his mona species group. P. Grubb and colleagues in 2003 did likewise, but they considered the form lowe : to be a subspecies of C. campbelli and the form wolfi to be a subspecies of C. pogonias . C. mona hybridizes with C. pogonias ; wild hybrids have been observed in Cameroon showing a variety of intermediate coat-pattern features. An albino individual was exhibited at the London Zoo in the early 1960s. Monotypic.

Distribution. SE Ghana (E of Volta River), Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and NW Cameroon (to a little S of the Sanaga River). The species has been introduced to the Gulf of Guinea islands of Sao Tomé and Principe, and into the Caribbean islands of Grenada, Saint Kitts, and Nevis.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 41-63 cm (males) and 38-46 cm (females), tail 64— 88 cm (males) and 53-66 cm (females); weight 4:4.7-5 kg (males) and 2.5-4 kg (females). The Mona Monkeyis a heavily built guenon, with a big head and long, thin tail that is normally carried in a high arc toward the back. It has a rich chestnut-colored back and white undersides (extending to inner surfaces of limbs). It can be readily distinguished by two conspicuous white oval patches, one on either side of base of tail. Lower limbs are gray or black on the outside, and callosities are dark gray. Crown of the head is dark gray, speckled with yellow-gold, and there is a white brow band. Cheeks are yellowish and densely furred, and pink skin is exposed on lips and muzzle. Dark skin on upper nose and around eyes, along with dark hair on temples, gives the Mona Monkey a masked appearance. Scrotum is blue. Newborn infants have a very dark coat.

Habitat. Primary and secondary lowland rainforest and mangrove, gallery, and riparian forest. The Mona Monkey is an ecological generalist, able to inhabit all but the most severely degraded of habitats; it can live near human habitation, on farmland, plantations and even in gardens. In parts of eastern Nigeria where little forest remains and most forest anthropoid primates are extinct, the Mona Monkeyis often the only forest monkeystill present.

Food and Feeding. Mona Monkeys are very frugivorous. Seeds, insects, flowers, and nectar are also important components of their diets. At Lama in Benin, individuals spent ¢.60% oftheir time feeding on ripe fruits and unripe seeds, especially of Dialium guineense ( Fabaceae ) and Diospyros mespiliformis ( Ebenaceae ) in the dry season when fruit is scarce. In the wet season, insects made up ¢.18% of their feeding time, and in the dry season, flowers and nectar made up ¢.37%.

Breeding. Pairs of Mona Monkey call when mating. Copulation calls have two elements—warbles (described as a continuous whining that rises and falls erratically in pitch) and grunts (choppy, low-toned calls that are repeated rapidly). They are given simultaneously, alternately, or singly during a call series. These calls last for c.8 seconds and can be heard at distances of more than 200 m. Species of Erythrocebus , Allenopithecus , and Miopithecus and the Sun-tailed Monkey ( Allochrocebus solatus ) give copulation calls, but the Mona Monkey is the only member of the genus Cercopithecus known to do so. Mona Monkeys appear to breed seasonally. In Lama, Benin, copulation calls have been heard in September—March, and newborn infants have been seen in April-September. In Mungo, Cameroon, copulation calls have been heard in September— December, with infants appearing in April-June. Females become sexually receptive about once a month. They do not show genital swelling. A single young is born after a b—6month gestation. The baby is carried ventrally, at first supported by its mother’s hand. Sexual maturity is reached at 4-6 years. Individuals can live more than 20 years.

Activity patterns. The Mona Monkeyis diurnal and mostly arboreal. Individuals spend most of their time in the lower layers of the forest canopy, and quite frequently, they move on the ground. In the Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve, Cameroon, 60% of their day was spent below a height of 15 m. In the Mungo Forest Reserve, Cameroon, Mona Monkeys were most often seen at heights of 4-10 m and foraged on the ground more than other species of Cercopithecus . In the Lama Forest, Benin, 29% of sightings of Mona Monkeys were on the ground. Much of their movement consists of relatively slow and deliberate quadrupedal walking, with infrequent leaping. In all-male groups on Grenada, resting occupied 48% of the activity budget, feeding and foraging 26%, grooming 12%, and moving 8%. A group was once observed swimming across a 4mwide creek in a Cameroon mangrove swamp.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Social groups of Mona Monkeys contain 3-35 individuals. In Lama, Benin, average group size has been found to be 13-5 individuals. Groups include both mixed and all-male groups; no other guenon species forms closely bonded all-male groups. In mixed groups, one or more adult males are accompanied by several adult females and young. Single-sex groups most commonly take the form of a male pair, or a group of males comprising adults, subadults, and juveniles. Up to five males have been seen traveling together in Lama. There is extensive overlap of group ranges in Lama and Mungo forest. Interactions between groups are aggressive. Males produce loud calls and give head-bobbing and branch-shaking displays. Individuals chase each other and squabble, including biting and wrestling. These intergroup encounters are accompanied by a characteristic call, the “chortle.” Female Mona Monkeys are most often seen grooming others, whereas adult males are the most frequently the recipients of grooming. Ranging behavior has not been studied in the Mona Monkey.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Mona Monkey is listed as Class B in the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Although its habitat is now highly fragmented and degraded across much of its distribution, the Mona Monkey remains relatively widespread and common. It has a remarkable ability to adapt to a wide variety of degraded habitats. Individuals are able to thrive in swamp forests, young secondary forest, and savanna gallery forest. Indeed,this is the most frequently encountered monkey in the heart ofits distribution in southern Nigeria, where other forest monkeys are now rare or absent. The Mona Monkey is therefore not believed to be declining at any rate that would warrant listing in a threatened category. It is occasionally killed as an agricultural pest, but it is especially numerous where hunting pressure is light, such as in Muslim areas in the northern part ofits distribution. The Mona Monkey is present in many protected areas including Fazao-Malfakassa National Park in Togo; Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary in Nigeria; Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary in Ghana; Cross River, Gashaka-Gumti, and Okomu national parks in Nigeria; and Mount Cameroon National Park, Takamanda Forest Reserve, Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary, and the proposed Ebo National Park in Cameroon.

Bibliography. Booth (1955), Dutton (1994), Gartlan & Struhsaker (1972), Glenn (1998), Glenn et al. (2002), Goodwin (2007), Groves (2001, 2005b), Grubb et al. (2003), Howard (1977), Kingdon (1997), Oates (1988b, 2011), Oates, Gippoliti & Groves (2008d), Struhsaker (1970).

Figures

59. Dryas Monkey (Cercopithecus dryas), 60. Diana Monkey (Cercopithecus diana), 61. Roloway Monkey (Cercopithecus roloway), 62. De Brazza’s Monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus), 63. Mona Monkey (Cercopithecus mona), 64. Campbell's Monkey (Cercopithecus campbelli), 65. Lowe's Monkey (Cercopithecus lowei), 66. Crowned Monkey (Cercopithecus pogonias), 67. Wolf's Monkey (Cercopithecus wolf), 68. Dent's Monkey (Cercopithecus dent)

Distribution. SE Ghana (E of Volta River), Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and NW Cameroon (to a little S of the Sanaga River). The species has been introduced to the Gulf of Guinea islands of Sao Tomé and Principe, and into the Caribbean islands of Grenada, Saint Kitts, and Nevis.