New monkey species with orange lips and roaring calls identified in Congo Basin

Scientists have described a previously unknown monkey species living deep in the Congo Basin rainforest, distinguished by bright orange lips and a unique vocal repertoire of roars and snorts. The species, named Cercopithecus lomamiensis and commonly called the Lomami red-lipped monkey, was first encountered in 2019 during surveys of the Lomami National Park region in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Researchers from the Lukuru Foundation and Yale University documented the monkey's distinctive morphology and behavior over several years of field observation. Adult males display vivid orange lips and a pinkish face framed by a dark muzzle, while their vocalizations include low-frequency roars and sharp snorting calls not recorded in any other guenon species. Genetic analysis confirmed the population represents a distinct lineage within the Cercopithecus genus. The discovery adds to a growing list of primates newly recognized in the Congo Basin, a region that remains undersurveyed due to its vastness and limited infrastructure. The Lomami red-lipped monkey appears restricted to a relatively small range within the Lomami River basin, raising immediate conservation concerns. Researchers recommend an IUCN Red List assessment and note that hunting pressure and habitat fragmentation from agricultural expansion threaten the newly described species. The finding underscores how basic biodiversity inventory work in Central Africa continues to yield new mammal species, even among well-studied groups like primates.