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Science 24 December 2004:
Vol. 306. no. 5705, p. 2184
DOI: 10.1126/science.306.5705.2184c
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Figure 3 Scientists surveying biodiversity in remote mountain forests along India's northeastern border with China have stumbled upon a new monkey species: the Macaca munzala, or Arunachal macaque.

The first new macaque species discovered anywhere since 1903, the primate is the 21st known macaque species and the eighth in India. The last primate found in India was the golden langur, discovered in 1955.

The Arunachal macaque is "stockily built and has an unusually dark face," according to its discoverers, Anindya Sinha, Aparajita Dutta, M. D. Madhusudan, and Charudutt Mishra, who work with the Nature Conservation Foundation in Mysore. The animal largely keeps to the forests and lives at altitudes up to 3500 meters, making it one of the highest-dwelling primates in the world.

The animal appears to be thriving even though its habitat is under immense threat from logging and human settlements. The scientists found "a fairly large population" in 14 troops spread over 1200 square kilometers. The team is urging the Indian government to designate the primate's habitat as a "protected area." A paper describing the new macaque will appear in the August 2005 International Journal of Primatology.

CREDIT: M. D. MADHUSUDAN




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