Tragelaphus phaleratus (C.H. Smith, 1827)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2011, Bovidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-779 : 597-598

19.

Central Bushbuck

Tragelaphus phaleratus

French: Guib du Congo / German: Kongo-Schirrantilope / Spanish: Bushbuck central

Taxonomy. Antilope phalerata C.H. Smith, 1827 ,

West bank of Stanley Falls, Congo.

The Central Bushbuck was formerly considered a subspecies of T. scriptus , but it is diagnostically different from other bushbucks. Assessments of mtDNA unite the Central Bushbuck to the exclusion of others; the support value for this clade is 100%. Synonyms of the Central Bushbuck include knutsoni , pictus , signatus , and punctatus . Monotypic.

Distribution. S Mali, Ivory Coast, C & S Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, extreme SW & SE Niger, Nigeria (except the extreme N), C & N Cameroon, S Chad, W & C Central African Republic, perhaps extreme NW & W DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, S Republic of the Congo, and extreme SW DR Congo (N of the Congo River). The boundary between the Central Bushbuck and the Nile Bushbuck (7: bor), as depicted here based largely on recent morphometric analyses of museum specimens, may be too far east because recent genetic analyses suggest that the Nile Bushbuck can occur further west into the Central Africa Republic and southern Chad. More research is required to clearly establish the ranges of these two taxa.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 114-165 (males) and 120-130 cm (females), tail 21-30 cm, shoulder height 65-102 cm (males) and 75-85 cm (females); weight 32-115 kg (males) and 32-42 kg (females). These measurements are from samples of Central Bushbucks from the DR Congo and Gabon in the mid-1900s and should be considered provisional until more contemporary information is available. Tragelaphines are typified by their sexual dimorphism, and the weight of male bushbucks, in general,is about 160% of that of females. Bushbucks are the smallest tragelaphines, with large ears and eyes and a rather round crested back. Their hindquarters tend to be higher and more robust than their forequarters. The body color of the Central Bushbuck is reddish-brown without any blackish suffusion except on the withers, as on the Western Bushbuck (7. scriptus ). An upper longitudinal band is often absent, particularly on females. Otherwise, the Central Bushbuck is very similar to the Western Bushbuck. Inguinal glands occur ahead of the mammae, but there are no false hoof glands. The tail is relatively short, long-haired, and bushy, dorsally colored the same as the back, white underneath, and usually has a black tip. Only males have keeled horns, which are nearly straight, with generally only one or slightly more twists. The average length of the horns of the Central Bushbuck is about 23 cm; the average total length of the skull is 23-5 cm. Dental formulais 10/3, C0/1,P 3/3, M 3/3 (x2) = 32. Diploid numbers for the bushbuck group are 33 for males and 34 for females.

Habitat. As a group, bushbucks are the most ubiquitous hoofed mammals in Africa, but because of their relatively solitary nature (particularly males), small size, tendency to freeze and cryptically blend into their surroundings, and preference for forest and forest edge, they are difficult to observe and census. Near the Baoulé River and Boucle du Baoulé National Park in southern Mali, direct feeding observations suggested daytime use of several riverine forest types, particularly those dominated by Acacia ataxacantha, and night-time use of the more open savanna; grassy stands of mature and dried Pennisetum pedicellatum and Vetiveria nigritana were avoided. In Mole National Park, northern Ghana, Central Bushbucks spent about an equal percentage of their time in marsh (47-1%) and open savanna (45-5%) habitats and much less time in riverine forests (7-4%); marsh habitat was actually preferred relative to its availability (26% of the total available habitat). According to Y. Moodley and M. W. Bruford, they occur in the Atlantic Equatorial Coastal Forest, Cross-Sanaga-Bioko Coastal Forest, Mount Cameroon-Bioko Montane Forest, Southern Congolian Forest-Savanna Mosaic, and Western Congolian Forest-Savanna. Mosaic ecoregions of west-central Africa are occupied exclusively by the Central Bushbuck haplogroup. They are usually found near free water, and the Central Bushbuck in Mole National Park routinely drink water.

Food and Feeding. Diets of the Central Bushbuck in Mole National Park were mostly leaves of 26 herbaceous and dicotyledonous plants, but they did not contain any grasses in the rainy season from May to August. Central Bushbucks in Mole visited salt licks. In southern Mali, Central Bushbucks ate a variety of woody plants (particularly Dichrostachys cinerea and Baissea multiflora ), herbaceous species (up to about 31% of the frequency of feeding observations), and sedges (up to 20%) during the beginning of the dry season (October—February). Elsewhere, bushbucks will eat new-growth of grasses and are fond of the fruits of various trees when seasonally available. In some places, Bushbucks are agricultural pests, eating various crops by night.

Breeding. Bushbucks have been described as the most socially primitive of the tragelaphines and are typically thought of as non-territorial polygynous breeders (see the Nile Bushbuck for the most thorough studies of breeding behavior).

Activity patterns. Central Bushbucks in Mole National Park, Ghana, actively fed from 06:00 h to 08:00 h and from 16:00 h to 18:00 h. Most resting/ruminating occurred from 10:00 h to 14:00 h. When temperatures exceeded 31°C, the bushbucks sought cover in thickets and rested/ruminated; below that temperature, they actively fed and routinely followed specific paths while foraging.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is little specific information available for this species, but it is probably comparable to other bushbuck species (see the Nile Bushbuck for the most thorough studies of these characteristics). Bushbucks do not range over a wide area. Home ranges are not exclusive, but an individual does have its own, apparently exclusive, place to rest during the day. Although not aggressive to one another, regular social interactions are largely confined to mother—offspring pairs and male—females during rut. Densities of Central Bushbucks were only 0-13 ind/km? in lowland valleys and 0-19 ind/km? in upland savannas in the Kainji National Park in Benin and Nigeria. In Lopé National Park, central Gabon, the density was higher (1-4 ind/km?), but the Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus) was the most abundant ungulate (18-4 ind/km?) there. Leopards (Panthera pardus) are known to prey on the Central Bushbuck in Lopé National Park, but they represent a small portion of the Leopard’s diet.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (under 1. scriptus ), which does not differentiate the eight species identified here. In the late 1990s, the number of bushbucks range-wide was estimated conservatively at over 1-34 million, and they were not particularly dependent on conservation initiatives, such as protected areas, if adequate cover and water were available. Bushbuck populations are considered stable range-wide; a 91% decrease in the Central Bushbuck in Comoé National Park, Ivory Coast, from 1978 to 1998 was attributed to intense poaching. In Nigeria, and no doubt elsewhere in Africa, the Central Bushbuck and other wildlife species are used for various medicinal and religious purposes, leading to excessive illegal harvest. The entire body of the Central Bushbuck in Nigeria is used to appease witches, as ritual sacrifice at hunters’ burials, and in various Muslim and Christian ceremonies. The head is thought to be a cure for leprosy. Generally, Bushbucks can do well in areas of human habitation because of their secretive nature, non-herding tendencies, cryptic coat patterning and tendency to freeze and blend in with their surroundings when faced with danger, and flexible daily schedules, adopting a nocturnal pattern in areas of human activity. In the late 1990s, populations of Central Bushbucks in Ivory Coast and Cameroon were said to be expanding into areas of abandoned cultivation and former primary forest that had been harvested. In Liberia, the Central Bushbuck is considered an agricultural pest.

Bibliography. Adeola (1992), Ansell (1972), Bro-Jorgensen (2008), Dankwa-Wiredu & Euler (2002), East (1999), Estes (1991a, 1991b), Fischer & Linsenmair (2001), Groves & Grubb (2011), Henschel et al. (2005), IUCN/SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2009), Kingdon (1982, 1997), Lydekker & Blaine (1914), Mabrant & Maclatchy (1949), Milligan et al. (1982), Moodley & Bruford (2007), Moodley et al. (2009), Nowak (1999), Olson et al. (2001), Smits (1986), Tutin et al. (1997), Walther (1990a), Wronski & Moodley (2009).

Figures

14. Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), 16. Chowsingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), 17. Nyala (Nyala angasii)

Distribution. S Mali , Ivory Coast , C & S Burkina Faso , Ghana , Togo , Benin , extreme SW & SE Niger , Nigeria (except the extreme N), C & N Cameroon , S Chad , W & C Central African Republic , perhaps extreme NW & W DR Congo , Equatorial Guinea , Gabon , S Republic of the Congo , and extreme SW DR Congo (N of the Congo River). The boundary between the Central Bushbuck and the Nile Bushbuck (7: bor), as depicted here based largely on recent morphometric analyses of museum specimens, may be too far east because recent genetic analyses suggest that the Nile Bushbuck can occur further west into the Central Africa Republic and southern Chad . More research is required to clearly establish the ranges of these two taxa.