Cercopithecus nictitans prey on air-borne termites in Gabon, Central Africa

Abstract

The guenons (Cercopithecus spp.) of Central Africa are medium-sized, mostly frugivorous or granivorous monkeys, which are able to adapt their diet to some extent to the available resources at a given site or in a given season (Gautier-Hion, 1988a; Gautier-Hion, Gautier & Maisels, 1993; Tutin et al., 1997; Chapman et al., 2002; Lambert, 2002). Among all guenons, insects comprise between 10% and 20% of the diet (Chapman et al., 2002). In Gabon, guenons are mostly frugivorous (Gautier-Hion, 1980; Tutin et al., 1997; Tutin, 1999), but the degree of insectivory varies with habitat. In one study in closed-canopy forest in northern Gabon, the proportion of the total dry weight ingested by guenons ranged between 10% and 15% (Gautier-Hion, 1980). In a second study in Lope´, central Gabon, also in closed-canopy forest with high fruit abundance and diversity, insect eating only comprised 3-9% of the total time spent feeding (Tutin et al., 1997). However during a study in a fruit-poor forest fragment in a savannah area of Lope´, guenon's time budget included 24-35% spent feeding on insects (Tutin, 1999).