Overview
- The species was formally described in the journal PLOS One on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, by a team led by Kate Detwiler with collaborators from the Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation and other institutions.
- Researchers used DNA, skull and skin comparisons, and recorded roars to show the monkey is a distinct species now named Colobus congoensis and commonly called likweli by some local people.
- Field teams logged 114 sightings from 2018 to 2022 across an area of about 1,700 square kilometres between the Lomami and Lilo rivers, which is very small for a colobus and suggests low densities.
- Specimens confiscated from hunters in 2021 provided high-quality tissue for genetic work that showed C. congoensis split from its closest known relative about 4 to 5 million years ago.
- Because of its tiny, river‑bounded range, ongoing hunting for bushmeat, and pressure from habitat loss, the authors recommend the species be assessed as endangered though official IUCN or national listings have not yet been made.