The Gabon talapoin also known as the northern talapoin, is a small species of African monkey

Monkey

A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...

 in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in riparian habitats in Cameroon

Cameroon

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...

, Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...

, Gabon

Gabon

Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...

, Central African Republic

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...

, western Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...

 and far northern Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

 (Cabinda

Cabinda (province)

Cabinda is an exclave and province of Angola, a status that has been disputed by many political organizations in the territory. The capital city is also called Cabinda. The province is divided into four municipalities - Belize, Buco Zau, Cabinda and Cacongo.Modern Cabinda is the result of a fusion...

). Unlike the related Angolan talapoin

Angolan Talapoin

The Angolan talapoin , also known as the southern talapoin, is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in riparian habitats in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Unlike the related Gabon talapoin, the Angolan Talapoin has blackish ears and facial skin down to...

, the Gabon talapoin has flesh-coloured (not blackish) ears and facial skin.

Taxonomy

While better known than the Angolan talapoin, and recognized as distinct as far back as 1969, the Gabon talapoin remained un-named until 1997. Kingdon

Jonathan Kingdon

Jonathan Kingdon is a science author, and Research Associate at the University of Oxford.He focuses on taxonomic illustration and evolution of the mammals of Africa. He is a contributor to The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing....

 pointed out that the presently used binomial

Binomial nomenclature

Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...

, where the specific name is a reference to the Ogoue

Ogooué River

The Ogooué , some 1,200 km long, is the principal river of Gabon in west central Africa. Its watershed drains nearly the entire country of Gabon, with some tributaries reaching into the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea....

, is a nomen nudum

Nomen nudum

The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...

:

A nomen nudum, 'Miopithecus ogouensis' is used here [in Kingdon's book] in anticipation of a formal description.

However, it can be argued that his description is valid per ICZN

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature

The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals...

 rules, as he included an illustration (thereby possibly providing a valid type

Biological type

In biology, a type is one particular specimen of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached...

), a description, and specifically said the name was intended for this new species, leading later authorities to accept it.