Yesterday PLOS ONE published a fascinating article on the discovery of a new monkey species in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Lesula monkey (Cercopithecus lomamiensis sp) was found as a juvenile at the residence of the primary school director in the town of Opala.

The scientists note that this is only the second new species of African monkey to be discovered in the past 28 years.

In the above image: Cercopithecus hamlyni, captured east of Kisangani, DRC (left), and Cercopithecus lomamiensis, captured near Obenge, DRC (right). White nose stripe is variably present in juvenile C. hamlyni from the Kisangani region.

Image credit: Hart JA, Detwiler KM, Gilbert CC, Burrell AS, Fuller JL, et al. (2012) Lesula: A New Species of Cercopithecus Monkey Endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Implications for Conservation of Congo’s Central Basin. PLoS ONE 7(9): e44271. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0044271