Mallophaga on Catarrhine Monkeys: Colobus guereza, a Natural Host of Procavicola colobi

Abstract

ACCORDING to Hopkins and Clay¹ and Eichler² no Mallophaga exist on Old World monkeys. An adult female Colobus monkey (Colobus guereza guereza Rüppell, 1835), however, collected in Djam-djam, Shoa Province, Ethiopia, by Prof. D. Starck in 1956 and now in the collection of the Anatomical Institute of Frankfurt, was found to be heavily infested by Procavicola colobi (Kellogg, 1910). This species was first described as Trichodectes colobi from Colobus guereza caudatus Thomas, 1885, at Mount Kilimandjaro. Eichler³ made Trichodectes colobi the type species of a new genus Meganarionoides based on the description by Kellogg. Werneck⁴ has re-examined Kellogg's specimens and has found that they are members of Procavicola, a genus otherwise known from many species of hyraxes (Procaviidae) only. He recognizes Meganarionoides as a sub-genus of Procavicola. Werneck doubted that the natural host of Procavicola colobi was a Colobus monkey, especially as he has found a second lot of Procavicola colobi at his disposal contaminated with other mallophaga, obviously originating from Procaviidae. Consequently, he suggested that the natural host is Dendrohyrax validus. In this he has been followed by Hopkins⁵ and Hopkins and Clay¹.