African Primates 7 (1): 64-66 (2010) New Range Record for the Lesser Spot-nosed Guenon (Cercopithecus petaurista) in Southeastern Senegal J. D. Pruetz1, A. Socha1 & D. Kante2 1 Department of Anthropology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA USA 2 Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project, Kedougou, Senegal INTRODUCTION tree height in gallery forest is 12.5 m (Pruetz et al., 2008). The lesser spot-nosed guenon (Cercopithecus petaurista The site has two ravines, referred to as Sakoto and Kerouani, Schreber 1774) was known to range, historically, in the which are separated by woodland and wooded grassland. southwestern or Casamance region of Senegal (Dupuy The various non-human primates present at Fongoli are 1971); its status in that country has been questionable in sympatric with humans living in the area. more recent times1 (Figure 1). The recent sightings of a lesser spot-nosed guenon in southeastern Senegal (12º39’N, 12º13’W) to be reported here appear to be the first record OBSERVATIONS for this species in the Kedougou (formerly, Tambacounda) On 18 June 2005, JDP observed a young (based on region. The guenon was seen by researchers at the Fongoli body mass, pelage, and condition of dentition), male lesser study site where chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) have spot-nosed monkey in gallery forest habitat at the Sakoto been observed continuously since April 2001. Although ravine and within the core home range of the Fongoli Guinea baboons (Papio hamadryas papio), patas monkeys chimpanzee community. Identification was confirmed (Erythrocebus patas), vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops utilizing Dorst and Dandelot (1997). On 19 July 2005, AS sabeus), and Senegal bushbabies (Galago senegalensis) are and DK also observed a male lesser spot-nosed guenon in commonly seen, the lesser spot-nosed guenon had never gallery forest habitat along the Kerouani tributary, which is been seen at Fongoli in the four years of continuous study by approximately 0.5 km from the Sakoto gallery forest patch researchers before this sighting, and it was never seen again where the first individual was seen. DK has worked as in the following four years after the series of observations a research assistant with the Fongoli chimpanzee project described here. since 2001. He is of Bedik ancestry and has lived in the region for over 20 years. He reports never having seen a lesser spot-nosed guenon and had never heard of such a BACKGROUND AND SITE DESCRIPTION monkey being described for this region. Bedik people in The approximately 63 km² chimpanzee home range at this area eat vervets, patas monkeys, and baboons, so are Fongoli, within which the sightings occurred, is surveyed attuned to the presence or absence of primate species. No systematically by researchers, with an emphasis on the 30 known Bedik name exists for the lesser spot-nosed guenon km² core chimpanzee range. The site can be described as in Senegal. No previous evidence of lesser spot-nosed a mosaic of mainly open habitat that includes woodland, guenons has been recorded at the Fongoli site, even though wooded grassland, bamboo woodland, plateau, and gallery observers are in the field at least 20 days per month. In forest (Pruetz 2006). Gallery forest makes up less than 2% addition, local people belonging to the Diahanke, Malinke, of the Fongoli chimpanzee range and is the only closed Bassari, Bedik, and Puhlar groups had not reported this canopy habitat at the site. Each gallery forest patch is less species to be present in the area during interviews for a than 50 m in width and less than 100 m in length. study focusing on folklore involving non-human primates Average tree height at the study site is 11 m, while average (Clavette 2003). 1http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html ____________ Correspondence to: J.D. Pruetz, Department of Anthropology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010, USA. Email: [email protected]. 65 / Pruetz et al. Although C. petaurista is currently listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Oates et al., 2008), records such as this one are useful in understanding primate distributions and potential conservation concerns in today’s anthropogenically modified environments. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks are extended to the Republic of Senegal, Departement du Eaux et Forets; the National Geographic Society; the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Department of Anthropology at Iowa State University; the Leakey Foundation, the US Fish and Wildlife Great Ape Conservation Fund; the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research; the National Science Foundation; Primate Conservation, Inc.; and the American Society of Primatologists. Mboule Camara provided assistance at Fongoli, and Noel Rowe contributed helpful Figure 1. Westernmost distribution of C. petaurista following comments and information. CITES (UNEP-WCMC 2005: http://www.cites.org/eng/ resources/species.html), with approximate location of Fongoli study site. Hatched, diagonal lines (SW Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and NW Guinea) indicate distribution. LITERATURE CITED Clavette, K. 2003. Conservation through Folklore: Ethnoprimatology in Southeastern Sénégal. Master’s DisCUssiON thesis, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ. We assume that both sightings of the guenon were of Dorst, J. & P. Dandelot. 1997. Guide des Grands Mammiferes the same young adult male lesser spot-nosed monkey. We d’Afrique. Delachaux & Niestle, Neuchatel. have considered the possibility that this individual was a Dupuy, A. 1971. Statut actuel des primates au Senegal. released pet; this appears to be unlikely, however, as pet Bulletin l’Institut Fondamental Afrique Noire 33: 467- lesser spot-nosed guenons have never been observed 478. in this region, and the likelihood of a pet being seen Gippoliti, S. & Dell’Omo, G. 2003. Primates of Guinea- approximately 10 km from the nearest town, where it most Bissau, West Africa: distribution and conservation likely would have originated, seems slight. The possibility status. Primate Conservation 19: 73-77. of a pet surviving to a healthy adulthood and then being Groves, C. 2001. Primate Taxonomy. Smithsonian released also seems unlikely, based on our observations of Institution Press, Washington. the fate of many patas monkeys kept as pets in the region. Groves, C.P. 2005. Order Primates. In Mammal Species of Pet patas monkeys frequently appear malnourished, are the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 3rd often reported to die before reaching adulthood, and there Edition. D. Wilson & D. Reeder, eds. Johns Hopkins is also the possibility that they are eaten, as they are usually University Press, Baltimore, MD. Pp. 113-184. acquired after the mother monkey has been killed for Oates, J.F., S. Gippoliti & C.P. Groves. 2008. Cercopithecus food. It is more likely that this young male guenon was an petaurista. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened “accidental” migrant from Guinea, the border of which lies Species. Version 2010.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. approximately 35 km to the south. Downloaded on 05 August 2010. Groves (2001) reports the western limit of the lesser Pruetz, J.D. 2006. Feeding ecology of savanna chimpanzees spot-nosed guenon as Guinea Bissau and the eastern limit (Pan troglodytes verus) at Fongoli, Senegal. In The as Togo, although Gambia may now represent this species’ Feeding Ecology of Great Apes and Other Primates. G. western limit (Groves, 2005; N. Rowe, pers. comm.). Hohmann, M. Robbins, & C. Boesch, eds. Cambridge Gippoliti and Dell’Omo (2003) reported this guenon as University Press, Cambridge. Pp. 161-182. occurring in Guinea Bissau, also noting that their records Pruetz, J.D., S.J. Fulton, L.F. Marchant, W.C. McGrew, M. support the existence of this species in the Casamance Schiel & M. Waller. 2008. Arboreal nesting as predator region of Senegal. Confirmation of this species’ range in adaptation in savanna chimpanzees. American Journal northeastern Guinea would support our conclusions that of Primatology 70: 393-401. this young male was actually a migrant from that region. Lesser Spot-nosed Guenon in Senegal / 66 AUTHORS’ CONTACT INFORMATION Corresponding author: J.D. Pruetz, Department of Anthropology, 324 Curtiss Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010 USA. Email: [email protected] A. Socha, Department of Anthropology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010 USA. Email: andreajoq@ gmail.com D. Kante, Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project, B.P. 116, Kedougou, Senegal. Email: [email protected] Cercopithecus petaurista Photograph courtesy of W. Scott McGraw.