'Likweli': A new monkey species discovered in the Congo Basin

An international team of scientists including Yale researchers has described a new Colobus monkey species inhabiting high forest canopies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a study published July 15 in the journal PLOS One. The species, Colobus congoensis, is just the fifth new African monkey species discovered in the past 75 years. Researchers recommend the common name Likweli, used by locals familiar with the small black monkeys marked by distinctive orange-cream patches around their mouths and noses. The identification is supported by evidence from physical traits, genetics, and vocalizations. The study was conducted from 2018 to 2022 in Lomami National Park and its buffer zone, where researchers recorded 114 observations over about 1,700 square kilometers. Yale postdoctoral fellow Julia Arenson said the team evaluated multiple datasets that all reached the same conclusion that Likweli is a distinct species. John Hart, the study's lead author and a conservation biologist with the Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation, said the discovery would not have happened without Congolese explorer naturalists who recognized the unknown species during extensive fieldwork. Based on the species' limited range, small population, and threats from hunting and human encroachment, researchers recommend it be designated as endangered. Eric Sargis, a Yale professor and curator at the Yale Peabody Museum, said the discovery has significant conservation implications and highlights the importance of protecting biodiversity in Lomami National Park.