Scientists have identified a new species of African monkey whose coloring “is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” as one of them put it.

The monkey, known by people in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the lesula, has a blond chin and upper chest, in contrast to its dark limbs. It has a reddish-colored lower back and tail.

“And adult males have a huge bare patch of skin in the buttocks, testicles and perianal area,” said John A. Hart, the researcher who described the coloring. “It’s a brilliant blue, really pretty spectacular.”

Image Researchers have identified a new species of African monkey, Cercopithecus lomamiensis (lesula). Credit... Maurice Emetshu

Dr. Hart is a field scientist with the Lukuru Foundation, a wildlife research group; his colleagues include his wife, Terese Hart. They report their findings in the journal PLoS One.