The Uganda mangabey (''Lophocebus ugandae'') is a species of
Old World monkey
Old World monkey is the common English name for a family of primates known taxonomically as the Cercopithecidae (). Twenty-four genera and 138 species are recognized, making it the largest primate family. Old World monkey genera include baboons ...
found only in
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
and in the
Minziro Forest Reserve
The Minziro (Nature) Forest Reserve is a conservation area along the Kagera River in Bukoba district of northwestern Tanzania. It protects one of the largest forests in Tanzania, of a forest type that is unique in the country. It was gazetted in 1 ...
, just over the border in
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
Colin Groves
Colin Peter Groves (24 June 1942 – 30 November 2017) was a British-Australian biologist and anthropologist. Groves was Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.
Education
Born in Englan ...
upgraded the Ugandan population to the new species ''L. ugandae'' on 16 February 2007. This species is significantly smaller than the grey-cheeked mangabey, with a shorter skull and smaller face. 2008 was the most recent year in which the
International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...
assessed the conservation status of ''L. albigena'', describing it as being of
least concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
, and the status of ''L. ugandae'' has not been assessed separately.
Taxonomy
In 1978,
Colin Groves
Colin Peter Groves (24 June 1942 – 30 November 2017) was a British-Australian biologist and anthropologist. Groves was Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.
Education
Born in Englan ...
recognized three subspecies of ''Lophocebus albigena'', namely ''L. a. albigena''; ''L. a. johnstoni''; and ''L. a. osmani''. Three decades later, in 2007, he raised these subspecies to full species rank on phylogenetic grounds, at the same time recognising that the mangabeys present in Uganda were sufficiently different from the remainder of ''L. albigena'' as to constitute a separate species, which he named ''L. ugandae''.
Description
The Uganda mangabey is rather smaller than the grey-cheeked mangabey (''L. albigena''). It is less
sexually dimorphic
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
and has a smaller skull. Individuals from the east of Uganda have a yellowish-brown colour while those from the west are a slightly darker greyish-brown. The mane and breast are pale chocolate-brown and contrast more with the body colour than do the equivalent parts of the Johnston's mangabey (''Lophocebus johnstoni'').
Distribution and habitat
The Uganda mangabey is known from the forests on the north and northwestern sides of Lake Victoria, including the Mabira Forest, from which it was first described, the Bujuko Forest, the Bukasa Forest, and the vicinity of
Sango Bay
Sango Bay is a settlement in the southern part of the Central Region, Uganda, Central Region of Uganda.
Location
Sango Bay is located in ''Sango Bay Parish'', Kakuuto Sub-County, Kyotera District, in the Central Region, Uganda, Buganda Region o ...
. It also occurs near
Kibaale
Kibaale is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Kibaale District, and the district headquarters are located there.
Location
Kibaale is in Buyaga County, approximately , by ro ...
, to the east of the Albertine Rift Valley. It occurs in both primary and secondary forests, and is an arboreal species, spending most of its time in the upper
canopy
Canopy may refer to:
Plants
* Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests)
* Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes
Religion and ceremonies
* Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...
, where it forages for fruits and seeds; favoured food items include the fruits of the false nutmeg and of the breadfruit, the fruits and seeds of ''
Erythrophleum
''Erythrophleum'' is a genus of legume in the family Fabaceae.
A partial list of species includes:
* ''Erythrophleum africanum''
* ''Erythrophleum chlorostachys''
* ''Erythrophleum couminga'' Baill.date palm and the fruits of the
oil palm
''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm '' Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its c ...
.
Conservation
One of the largest populations of Uganda mangabey is in the Mabira Central Forest Reserve. This protected area is being illegally logged and parts are being converted to agricultural use. Attempts are being made to habituate several groups of mangabey to the presence of humans with a view to increasing wildlife tourism in the area as a means to discourage
habitat destruction
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
and provide an extra source of income for the local community.