Cercopithecus lowei (Thomas, 1923)

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 : 682-683

65.

Lowe's Monkey

Cercopithecus lowei

French: Cercopitheque de Lowe / German: Lowe-Meerkatze / Spanish: Cercopiteco de Lowe

Other common names: Lowe's Mona

Taxonomy. Cercopithecus campbelli lower Thomas, 1923 ,

Ivory Coast, Bandama.

In his Field Guide to African Mammals published in 1997,J. Kingdon included the following species in his C. mona superspecies group: C. mona , C. campbelli , C. lowes, C. denti , C. wolf, and C. pogonias . C. P. Groves in his 2001 Primate Taxonomy followed this same arrangement for his mona species group. P. Grubb and colleagues in 2003 did likewise, but they considered the form lowei to be a subspecies of C. campbelli . Groves classified lowei as a distinct species, which is followed here. C. campbelli x C. lowei intermediates occur where the species replace each other in an area between the Cavally and Sassandra riversin Ivory Coast. Monotypic.

Distribution. Patchily from the Cavally River in W Ivory Coast, E to the Volta River in Ghana.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 45-52 cm (males) and 40-43 cm (females), tail 66— 75 cm (males) and 54-59 cm (females); weight 5.2-5.8 kg (males) and 2.3-8 kg (females). Male Lowe’s Monkeys are much larger than females. Crown is chestnut flecked with yellow. It has a yellow brow band with black-tipped hairs. Cheek whiskers are speckled yellow, with gray bases. Ear tufts are grizzled and often yellowish. Face is bluegray exceptfor lips and skin of the muzzle, which are pink. Dorsum is grizzled brown, slightly orange or golden-red with a contrastingly dark gray to blackish rump. Underparts are white. Outer thighs are dark gray and forearms to above elbows are blackish. Base and distal one-third oftail are black, but otherwise tail is pale yellowish.

Habitat. A wide range of lowland habitats, including primary evergreen and semideciduous forest, secondary growth forest, gallery forest, and forest-savanna mosaics north of the rainforest zone. Lowe’s Monkeys are uncommon in marshy areas and mangroves but can sometimes be seen in secondary “farmbush” (secondary growth and scrub on farmland). They are most often observed in the middle and lower levels of the forest canopy, rarely using emergents. The average height above the ground for foraging groups is c.7 m. Lowe’s Monkeyis a lowland species; it can be found at elevations up to 300 m, but the majority ofits distribution is below 150 m.

Food and Feeding. Diets of Lowe’s Monkeys are mainly fruit, including figs ( Ficus , Moraceae ) and fruits of Cola ( Sterculiaceae ) and Baphia (Fabaceae) . They also eat leaves, seeds, flowers, bark, and insects (larvae and orthopterans). In one area, arthropods dominated the diet, 56-63%, with cultivated fruits making up 24-26%. Lowe's Monkeys drink water by dipping their hands into tree holes and licking theirfur.

Breeding. Female Lowe’s Monkeys reach sexual maturity at c.3 years of age and males at c.4 years. The gestation period is 147-180 days. Weaning occurs at c.18 months. Seasonal mating has been observed in central southern Ivory Coast in June-December, and births occur in November—January to coincide with the growing season. Both allomothering and exclusive maternal care have been observed. Infanticide has been recorded. Life span is ¢.28 years.

Activity patterns. Lowe’s Monkeys are diurnal and arboreal. Locomotion is primarily quadrupedal, with climbing and leaping, and bipedal postures have also been recorded, especially when foraging for insects.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Lowe's Monkeys live in unimalemultifemale groups, with 4-5 females and their offspring; generally, there are 6-12 individuals in a group, averaging c.10 individuals. Solitary males have also been observed. Males and females disperse from their natal groups. A group may split into subgroups when foraging. Average home rangeis c.40 ha, but a group using a remnant forest had smaller ranges of 3-14 ha. Lowe’s Monkeys are often associated with other species, including the Diana Monkey (C. diana ). Lowe’s Monkeysinitiate and terminate such associations, presumably gaining anti-predator benefits. Predators include crowned hawk-eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus), Leopards (Panthera pardus), and Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List (as C. campbelli lower). Lowe’s Monkey is listed as Class B in the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It is widespread and adaptable when its forests are fragmented and degraded, as long there is some cover and connectivity among forest patches. Lowe’s Monkey is heavily hunted and reported to be declining as a result, but declines are not thought to be at a pace that would warrant listing in a threatened category. It has been extirpated in Banco National Park, Ivory Coast. It survives well in sacred forests in both Ghana and Ivory Coast and occurs in Kakum National Park and Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary in Ghana.

Bibliography. Booth (1956b, 1957b), Bourliere et al. (1969), Fargey (1991), Galat-Luong & Galat (1979a), Groves (2001), Grubb et al. (2003), Jeffrey (1974), Kingdon (1997), Lernould (1988), Magnuson (2002), Muhlenberg et al. (1990), Oates (1988b), Oates, Gippoliti & Groves (2008a), Porter (2002).

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. Patchily from the Cavally River in W Ivory Coast, E to the Volta River in Ghana.