Scientists Confirm Discovery of New Monkey Species in DR Congo Rainforest
By Aminu Adamu
Colobus congoensis, known locally as “Likweli,” is only the fifth new African monkey species identified in 75 years, and researchers say formal recognition could help secure its protection.
KINSHASA, DR Congo
A new species of monkey with striking pinkish-orange lips and a jet-black face has been formally confirmed in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), scientists say, in a discovery hailed as one of the most significant primate finds in decades.
The animal, named Colobus congoensis and known to communities living within its range as “Likweli,” inhabits the high forest canopy between the Lomami and Lilo Rivers in east-central DRC, much of it within Lomami National Park. Its discovery, published in the journal PLOS One, marks only the fifth new species of African monkey to be described in the last 75 years.
A decade-long trail of evidence
The species’ existence first came to light in 2008, when Bernard Ikembelo and Ashley Vosper of the Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation captured a single blurred photograph of the unfamiliar primate during a field expedition. A decade later, in 2018, researchers encountered the animal again, this time obtaining a much sharper image that reignited scientific interest.
Over the following years, an international research team drawn from institutions in the DRC, the United States and Germany, including the Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation, Florida Atlantic University, Yale University and the Frankfurt Zoological Society, gathered photographic records, sound recordings and genetic material. Between 2018 and 2022 alone, the team logged 114 field observations across an estimated range of about 1,700 square kilometres, alongside interviews with hunters and residents in villages bordering the forest.
Genetic, anatomical and acoustic analysis ultimately confirmed the monkey as a distinct species, with researchers estimating it diverged from its nearest known relative, the black colobus (Colobus satanas) of west-central Africa, roughly four to five million years ago, one of the deepest splits yet recorded within the Colobus lineage.
A shy, watchful presence in the canopy
Researchers describe Likweli as a small, largely black monkey, distinguished by a pinkish-orange patch around its mouth and nose, grey-toned cheekbones and a white patch of fur around the anus. Typically observed in small groups averaging about six individuals, the species is often found alongside other colobine monkeys in tall, closed-canopy forest.
Researchers Kate Detwiler and Junior Amboko of Florida Atlantic University, who observed the species in the field, described its temperament as “a quiet and watchful nature,” noting that groups tend to climb higher into the canopy to observe researchers rather than flee. The monkey is also known for a distinctive, roar-like call that is acoustically distinct from those of other colobus species.
Conservation concerns
Scientists believe Likweli is rare and confined to a narrow range, leaving it vulnerable to hunting and habitat loss. The research team has proposed a preliminary classification of Endangered under IUCN Red List criteria and is calling for stronger protection of Lomami National Park, where most of the species’ range lies, alongside continued engagement with local communities to curb hunting.
The team says its formal scientific description now paves the way for deeper study of the monkey’s population size, distribution and behaviour, and hopes the recognition will strengthen the case for safeguarding its Congo Basin habitat. The species was named Colobus congoensis in honour of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s rich natural heritage, and researchers say it is believed to be the first primate ever named directly after the country. This report draws on reporting by AllAfrica and the original PLOS One study
