Likweli

Open encyclopedia reference

The likweli (Colobus congoensis) is a species of Old World monkey in the colobine genus Colobus. It is endemic to a small area of lowland rainforest between the Lomami River and the Lilo River in east-central Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), most of which lies within Lomami National Park. Formally described in 2026, it is the seventh recognised species of Colobus and the fifth new species of African monkey to be described in the previous 75 years. The monkey is smaller than most species of its genus and is mostly black. It is distinguished by a pinkish to orange-cream patch of bare skin around the mouth and nostrils, set against a dark face that includes a grayish mask around the eyes, and by a conspicuous white patch around the anus. Genetic, anatomical, and acoustic evidence identify its closest relative as the black colobus (Colobus satanas) of west-central Africa, more than 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) away.

Wikipedia contributors, Likweli; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:21:12.606422+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Colobus congoensis J. Hart, Amboko, Arenson, Horton, Coates, Kapale, Koko, T. Hart, Gilbert, Sargis & Detwiler, 2026

Name authority

J. Hart, Amboko, Arenson, Horton, Coates, Kapale, Koko, T. Hart, Gilbert, Sargis & Detwiler, 2026

Common name

Likweli

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Primates

Family

Cercopithecidae

Genus

Colobus

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderPrimates Linnaeus, 1758
12. suborderHaplorrhini Pocock, 1918
13. infraorderSimiiformes Haeckel, 1866
14. superfamilyCercopithecoidea Gray, 1821
15. familyCercopithecidae Gray, 1821
16. subfamilyColobinae Jerdon, 1867
17. tribeColobini Jerdon, 1867
18. genusColobus Illiger, 1811
19. speciesColobus congoensis J. Hart, Amboko, Arenson, Horton, Coates, Kapale, Koko, T. Hart, Gilbert, Sargis & Detwiler, 2026

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Colobus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 136 records assigned to Cercopithecidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Hart, John A., Junior D. Amboko, Julia L. Arenson, Emma R. Horton, Kathryn F. Coates, et al. (2026). Likweli: A remarkable new species of Colobus monkey from the Lomami National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. PLoS One, Vol. 21, No. 7: E0349857. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:VQ4FT. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.