Tag Archives: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dendromus kahuziensis Dieterlen

Mt. Kahuzi Climbing Mouse (Dendromus kahuziensis)

The Mt. Kahuzi Climbing Mouse was described in 1969; the species is known only from two specimens, a male and a female that were collected in 1967 and 1972 respectively.

The species is (or was) known only from the forests at Mount Kahuzi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; it is highly threatened by illegal logging and habitat destruction and, having never been found since 1972, might actually already be extinct.

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edited: 20.08.2022

Acalypha dikuluwensis P. A. Duvign. & Dewit

Dikuluwe Copperleaf (Acalypha dikuluwensis)

The Dikuluwe Copperleaf was found growing on copper-rich soils in copper outcrops in a small area in the eastern Katanga Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The habitat was completely destroyed by surface mining.

The Dikuluwe Copperleaf was not found since 1959 and was finally officially declared extinct in 2012.

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edited: 23.01.2022

Melanoides agglutinans (Bequaert & Clench)

Congo Freshwater Snail (Melanoides agglutinans)

This species was described in 1942, it apparently was restricted to the Congo River, where it inhabited crevices among rocks in swiftly flowing water near the town of Matadi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The shells reach sizes of about 1,2 cm in height.

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The species is considered extinct, however, I didn’t find any additional information about thus assumption.

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edited: 29.04.2021

Graphium aurivilliusi Seeldrayers

Albertine Rift Butterfly (Graphium aurivilliusi)

The Albertine Rift Butterfly was described in 1896, it is known only by the type series that apparently consists of at least two male specimens.

This species was found somewhere in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an exact locality seems not to be known.

The Albertine Rift Butterfly reaches a wingspan of 7,5 cm; the winds are blackish-brown with green-tinged white markings forming large, interrupted bands on the fore- and the hindwings. [1]

The species was never found again since its description and is possibly extinct.

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References:

[1] N. Mark Collins; Michael G. Morris:  Threatened swallowtail butterflies of the World: The IUCN Red Data Book. Intl Union for Conservation of. 1985

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Depiction from: ‘E. Seeldrayers: Lépidoptères noveaux du Congo. Annales de la Société entomologique de Belgique 40: 499-505. 1896’

(public domain)

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edited: 11.10.2020

Ceratotherium simum ssp. cottoni Lydekker

Northern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum ssp. cottoni)  

A male, named Sudan, was the last male Northern White Rhinoceros in the world, it died today, at the 9. March 2018, leaving behind the last two individuals of its [sub]species, both females.  

The Northern White Rhinoceros is now functionally extinct.  

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edited: 28.03.2018

Vernonia ledocteana P. A. Duvign. & Van Bockstal

Copper Vernonia (Vernonia ledocteana)  

This remarkable highly specialized plant species was endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it was restricted to copper-rich soil.  

The species disappeared, together with several other highly specialized species, due to habitat loss by copper mining. [1]  

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References:  

[1] Michel-Pierre Faucon; Arthur Meersseman; Mylor Ngoy Shutcha; Grégory Mahy; Michel Ngongo Luhembwe; François Malaisse; Pierre Meerts: Copper endemism in the Congolese flora: a database of copper affinity and conservational value of cuprophytes. Plant Ecology and Evolution 143(1): 5-18. 2010  

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edited: 21.03.2018