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This thumbless primate belongs to the broader colobus monkey family, a group of tree-dwelling herbivores native to Africa

Scientists have officially confirmed the existence of a previously unknown primate species dwelling in the Democratic Republic of Congo's rainforests.

The monkey, now formally named Colobus congoensis, possesses striking pinkish-orange lips set against a dark face, with black fur covering its body.

Researchers photographed the elusive creature concealed within the upper reaches of Lomami National Park's dense tropical woodland, situated in the country's central eastern region.

The international team chose the Latin designation to honour the DRC's remarkable biodiversity.

Conservation workers initially spotted this unusual animal in 2008, but they captured only a single blurry image.

A decade passed before another encounter occurred, prompting an international research collaboration involving scientists from the DRC, the United States and Germany to launch a comprehensive investigation.

Their work combined sound recordings, photographic evidence and extensive genetic analysis to establish that the primate represented an entirely new species.

The team's findings, now published in the journal PLoS One, mark a significant moment in African primatology.

Remarkably, Colobus congoensis represents just the fifth monkey species identified on the continent over the past three-quarters of a century.

Junior Amboko, a doctoral candidate at Florida Atlantic University who led much of the fieldwork, described the experience of encountering such a rarely seen creature as profoundly moving.

"Discovering" a species, in this context, means officially recording and confirming it has evolved to be genetically distinct, he explained to BBC News, calling it an "amazing feeling" to look into the face of an animal that so few people knew existed.

Local communities have long recognised the primate, referring to it as Likweli in their own language.

Yet the animal remains extraordinarily elusive. Amboko noted that interviews across 52 nearby villages revealed residents in merely eight had ever observed the shy creatures, which tend to remain hidden high in the forest canopy.

Professor Kate Detwiler, also from Florida Atlantic University, emphasised the ecological significance of colobus monkeys more broadly.

She explained: "These are really important African monkeys that don't have thumbs. They're these herbivores of the canopy that are a critical part of the ecosystem. We think they have a lot to do with processing seeds and germination in the forest."

She suggested the species' vivid facial markings might serve as visual signals for mate attraction or individual recognition.

With the animals facing hunting pressure for bushmeat, researchers hope formal species classification will enable official protection measures.