Etat des connaissances sur les céphalophes (genres Cephalophus et Philantomba) des forêts denses humides d'Afrique centrale (synthèse bibliographique)

• Main Authors: Houngbégnon, FGA., Sonké, B., Vermeulen, C., Doucet, JL.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Presses Agronomiques de Gembloux 2019-01-01
• Series: Biotechnologie, Agronomie, Société et Environnement
• Subjects: Bovidae; antelopes; ruminants; hunting; forests; fruit; forest regeneration; Central Africa
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.25518/1780-4507.17808
• ISSN: 1370-6233; 1780-4507

State of knowledge on duikers (genera Cephalophus and Philantomba) of central Africa rainforests. A review. Introduction. This article provides a synthesis of current knowledge on classification, ecology and biology of duikers living in central African rainforests (genera Cephalophus and Philantomba). It also provides an update on the anthropogenic pressures on these terrestrial mammals. Literature. Many publications on central African duikers are focused on subsistence or commercial hunting, and poaching. As the taxonomic classification of duikers has recently been revised, new species have been described with very little information available on their ecology. This synthesis highlights the gaps in the scientific knowledge and proposes priority themes for future research. Conclusions. Although many aspects remain to be explored for some species (i.e., habitat use, home range), it is suggested to investigate in priority: the inventory methods, the role of duikers in forest dynamics, and the impact of logging on their populations.