ADW: Allenopithecus nigroviridis: Information

2010/02/07 01:34:46.511 US/Eastern

By Corey Sides

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Primates

Suborder: Haplorrhini

Family: Cercopithecidae

Subfamily: Cercopithecinae

Genus: Allenopithecus

Species: Allenopithecus nigroviridis

Geographic Range

The range of Allenopithecus nigroviridis is from the Upper and Eastern basins of the Congo to Western Zaire (Walker 1975).

Biogeographic Regions:
ethiopian (native ).

Habitat

Studies from the Lomako Forest in Zaire suggest that A. nigroviridis is found only in the swamp forests. This differs from many other cercopithecids in that region, which occupy primary, secondary, and Mbau forests. The species is arboreal and at least semi-terrestrial (McGraw 1994).

Terrestrial Biomes:
forest ; rainforest .

Reproduction

Number of offspring
1 (average)

Birth Mass
221 g (average)
(7.78 oz)
[External Source: AnAge]

Time to weaning
2.50 months (average)

Again little is known about the specific reproductive system of A. nigroviridis. Like other cercopithecids, females generally give birth to one offspring at a time. The young are typically weaned at 2.5 months (Hayssen and Van Tienhoven 1993). The length of estrus and menses is unknown as well as the breeding season. Allenopithecus nigroviridis can live up to 2 decades. (http://www.zooregon.org/cards/monkey.allens.swamp.htm)

Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous .

Females nurse and care for their young for two and a half months.

Parental investment:
pre-fertilization (provisioning, protecting: female); pre-hatching/birth (provisioning: female, protecting: female); pre-weaning/fledging (provisioning: female, protecting: female); extended period of juvenile learning.

Lifespan/Longevity

Extreme lifespan (wild)
23 years (high)
[External Source: AnAge]

These primates are thought to live up to 20 years.

Behavior

Studies near Mbandaka, Zaire show that A. nigroviridis is diurnal and live in groups of up to 40 or more individuals, with several adult males present. (http://www.zooregon.org/cards/monkey.allens.swamp.htm) Although there is considerable literature concerning the social systems of many species of Old World Monkeys, little is known about the system of A. nigroviridis. It is probably the case that they employ many of the behaviors found in other cercopithecids, including facial expressions of grinning, snarling, as well as many displays of body language, including grimace, dominance and submission (Bernstein 1970). Studies in captivity of A. nigroviridis in the San Diego Zoo suggest that the species is quite social and friendly and similar to guenons (Cercopithecus) in behavior (Walker 1975).

Key behaviors:
diurnal ; motile ; social .

Food Habits

Little is known about the overall natural history of A. nigroviridis; however, it is known that they forage on the ground and in shallow water (Walker 1975). The diet of A. nigroviridis includes fruit, leaves, and small invertebrates. http://www.zooregon.org/cards/monkey.allens.swamp.htm

Primary Diet:
omnivore .

Animal Foods:
insects.

Plant Foods:
leaves; fruit.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Many cercopithecids, including A. nigroviridis, are hunted for their meat, and they are used in the biomedical research industry (Lawlor 1979).

Other Comments

Studies from the Lomako Forest in Zaire suggest that A. nigroviridis, like other Lomako Forest monkeys, is under a substantial amount of pressure from predators. These predators include the crowned hawk eagle, snakes, and pygmy chimapanzees. In response to these predators, many cercopithecids form poly-specific groups in the various forest types (McGraw 1994).

For More Information

Find Allenopithecus nigroviridis information at

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Corey Sides (author), University of Michigan.

References

Bernstein, I. S. 1970. Old World Monkeys Evolution, Systematics, and Behavior. Academic Press, New York.

Hayssen, V., A.Van Tienhoven, and A. Van Tienhoven. 1993. Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction. Cornell University Press, New York.

Lang, H. 1923. A New Genus of African Monkey, Allenopithecus. American Museum Novitates 87:1-5.

Lawlor, T. E. 1979. Handbook to the Orders and Families of Living Mammals. Mad River Press, California.

McGraw S. 1994. Census, Habitat Preference, and Polyspecific Associations of Six Monkeys in the Lomako Forest, Zaire. American Journal of Primatology 34:296-307.

Szalay, F.S and E. Delson. 1979. Evolutionary History of the Primates. Academic Press, New York.

Walker, E. P. 1975. Mammals of the World. Third Edition. John's Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

http://www.zooregon.org/cards/monkey.allens.swamp.htm

2010/02/07 01:34:47.672 US/Eastern

To cite this page: Sides, C. 1999. "Allenopithecus nigroviridis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 10, 2010 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Allenopithecus_nigroviridis.html.

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Allenopithecus nigroviridisAllen's swamp monkey