Improving baseline information on over-looked generalists: occurrence and mitochondrial DNA diversity of Campbell’s (Cercopithecus campbelli) and green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa

Campbell’s ( Cercopithecus campbelli ) and green monkeys ( Chlorocebus sabaeus ) are sympatric medium-sized West African guenons (tribe Cercopithecini) that are generally understudied in most of their distribution. Both species are ecological generalists and are globally considered non-threatened, but populations are decreasing locally. National conservation management lacks baseline information on local populations of primate species. C. campbelli and Chl. sabaeus are considered the most abundant primates out of the ten extant species and are the most frequently hunted for meat consumption. Here, we aimed to update the occurrence and estimate the country-wide mitochondrial (mtDNA) genetic diversity for both species. From 2008 to 2022, we conducted surveys in four mainland protected areas and on the islands of the Bijagós archipelago where primates are known to occur. We identified C. campbelli populations outside their known distribution. We found relatively high mtDNA diversity for both species in the mainland and lower or no diversity in insular populations. Our results show significant signals of geographically induced mtDNA differentiation, particularly in C. campbelli , which pattern of population structure suggests female philopatry. In constrast, we found divergent Chl. sabaeus haplotypes at geographically close locations, suggesting female dispersal. We identified differentiated haplogroups with an estimated divergence time of 1.53 in C. campbelli and 1.16 Ma in Chl. sabaeus , possibly linked to Pleistocene climatic fluctuations. Our results add further evidence that Guinea-Bissau harbors high genetic diversity for primate species and the country should be prioritized for conservation in West Africa.