The Allen's swamp monkey (''Allenopithecus nigroviridis'') is a species of

Old World monkey Old World monkeys are primates in the family Cercopithecidae (). Twenty-four genera and 138 species are recognized, making it the largest primate family. Old World monkey genera include baboons (genus '' Papio''), red colobus (genus '' Piliocolob ...

and the only member of the genus ''Allenopithecus''. Phylogenetically, it is a sister

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

to the

guenon The guenons (, ) are Old World monkeys of the genus ''Cercopithecus'' (). Not all members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names; also, because of changes in scientific classification, some monkeys in other genera may have co ...

s, but differs in dentition and habits. Allen's swamp monkey was named after American zoologist

Joel Asaph Allen Joel Asaph Allen (July 19, 1838 – August 29, 1921) was an American zoology, zoologist, mammalogy, mammalogist, and ornithology, ornithologist. He became the first president of the American Ornithologists' Union, the first curator of birds and ma ...

Range

Allen's swamp monkey lives in the

Congo Basin The Congo Basin () is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It contains some of the larg ...

, the

Republic of Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

, the west of the

DRC The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, and

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

. It was recorded from Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve in the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

in 2016.

Description

This monkey is a rather strongly built animal. The slight webbing of the fingers and toes point to its partially aquatic way of life. Allen's swamp monkey can reach a full body length from 45 to 60 cm, with a roughly 50-cm-long tail. Males, weighing up to 6 kg, are substantially larger than the females (up to 3.5 kg).

Behavior

Allen's swamp monkey is a

diurnal animal Diurnality is a form of plant and animal behavior characterized by activity during daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The common adjective used for daytime activity is "diurnal". The timing of activity by an animal ...

and regularly looks for food on the ground. It inhabits swampy, water-rich areas and can swim well, diving to avoid danger. It lives in

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

groups of up to 40 animals, communicating with different calls, gestures, and touches. Its diet consists of

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

s and leaves, as well as

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

s and worms. Little is known of the mating habits of this species. The females bear young, which are weaned around three months old and are mature after three to five years. Its lifespan can be as long as 23 years. Raptors,

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

s, and the

bonobo The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee (less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee), is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus ''Pan (genus), Pan'' (the other bei ...

are the natural predators of Allen's swamp monkey. It is also hunted for its meat.

References

External links

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Primate Info Net ''Allenopithecus'' Factsheets
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q12215985, from2=Q19486, from3=Q41081571 Cercopithecini Fauna of Central Africa Mammals of Cameroon Mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mammals of the Republic of the Congo Mammals described in 1907 Taxa named by R. I. Pocock