The Egyptian jackal (Canis aureus lupaster) has hitherto been considered a large, rare subspecies of the golden jackal (C. aureus). It has maintained its taxonomical status to date, despite studies demonstrating morphological similarities to the grey wolf (C. lupus). We have analyzed 2055 bp of mitochondrial DNA from C. a. lupaster and investigated the similarity to C. aureus and C. lupus. Through phylogenetic comparison with all wild wolf-like canids (based on 726 bp of the Cytochrome b gene) we conclusively (100% bootstrap support) place the Egyptian jackal within the grey wolf species complex, together with the Holarctic wolf, the Indian wolf and the Himalayan wolf. Like the two latter taxa, C. a. lupaster seems to represent an ancient wolf lineage which most likely colonized Africa prior to the northern hemisphere radiation. We thus refer to C. a. lupaster as the African wolf. Furthermore, we have detected C. a. lupaster individuals at two localities in the Ethiopian highlands, extending the distribution by at least 2,500 km southeast. The only grey wolf species to inhabit the African continent is a cryptic species for which the conservation status urgently needs assessment.

a b s t r a c tCoffee is the most important tropical commodity and is grown in high-priority areas for biological conservation. There is abundant literature on the conservation value of coffee farms internationally, but there has been little research on this topic in Africa. Ethiopia is a diverse and little-studied country with high levels of avian endemism, pressing conservation challenges, and where Coffea arabica originated. We sampled bird communities in shade coffee farms and moist evergreen Afromontane forest in Ethiopia utilizing standard mist netting procedures at seven sites over three years to evaluate bird species richness, diversity and community structure. Although species diversity did not differ between shade coffee and forest, shade coffee farms had over double the species richness of forest sites and all but one of the nine Palearctic migratory species were captured only in shade coffee. There was a greater relative abundance of forest specialists and understory insectivores in forest, demonstrating that little-disturbed forest is critical for sustaining these at-risk groups of birds. Nonetheless, all species recorded in primary forest control sites were also recorded in shade coffee, indicating that Ethiopian shade coffee is perhaps the most ''bird-friendly'' coffee in the world. This is an important finding for efforts to conserve forest birds in Africa, and for shade coffee farmers that may benefit from avian pest regulation and biodiversityfriendly coffee certifications.

Bale monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) are little-known primates endemic to the forests of the Bale Massif and Hagere Selam regions of Ethiopia. From August 2007 to May 2008, we conducted the first ever study of the species' behavior and ecology, focusing in particular on its diet, activity patterns, and ranging ecology in the Odobullu Forest. We studied 2 neighboring groups (group A: 55-60 members; group B: 46-50 members) and conducted behavioral scan samples on the first 2-5 individuals sighted at 15-min intervals. Feeding accounted for 65.7% of the activity budget, followed by moving (14.4%), resting (10.7%), social (7.1%), and other behaviors (2.4%). Overall diet during the study was dominated by young leaves (80.2%), though subjects also ate fruits (9.6%), flowers (3.1%), animal prey (2.3%), shoots (1.5%), stems (1.4%), mature leaves (1.1%), and roots (0.9%). Bale monkeys consumed only 11 plant species; of these, the top 5 species accounted for 94.3% of their diet. The top food item, bamboo (Arundinaria alpina), was responsible for a remarkable 76.7% of their diet, with most (95.2%) of the bamboo consumption consisting of young leaves. Mean daily path length for the study Int groups was 928 m and mean (100% minimum convex polygon) home range size was 15.2 ha. Though we are cautious in drawing conclusions from only 2 groups, the larger group traveled further per day and occupied a larger home range, patterns suggesting scramble competition may be occurring in Bale monkey groups at Odobullu. The dietary specialization of Bale monkeys on bamboo makes them unique among Chlorocebus spp. and suggests an intriguing ecological convergence with the golden monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis kandti) of Uganda and bamboo lemurs (Hapalemur spp.) of Madagascar. Their narrow ecological niche, limited geographic distribution, and bamboo harvesting by local people for commercial purposes place Bale monkeys at risk of extinction. To ensure the long-term survival of Bale monkeys, appropriate management action should be taken to conserve the species and the bamboo forests upon which it depends.Keywords activity budget . bamboo . feeding ecology . home range . quantitative natural history . scramble competition

Many species of large herbivores are declining in numbers as a consequence of direct exploitation or habitat loss. In the Ethiopian highlands, rapid human population growth has resulted in an expansion of human settlements and farmland, threatening many endemic species such as the mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni. Despite being listed as an endangered species, the mountain nyala is still the most important trophy hunting species in Ethiopia. We counted faecal pellets of mountain nyala within plots distributed along transects to estimate population size and identify key environmental variables associated with the presence of faecal pellet groups. The total mountain nyala population was estimated at 3756 (95% confidence intervals: 2506-7135) individuals, mainly occupying woodlands while avoiding human developments (agriculture and settlements). The total suitable area was estimated at 8333 km 2 . Only 31.6% of the total population lived within a national park, while 53.5% of the population inhabited two controlled hunting areas in the eastern mountains. Abundance was 3.7 times higher in areas patrolled by wardens, regardless of being in a national park or hunting area, suggesting that formal protection must be followed by surveillance to avoid poaching and habitat destruction. We found no negative correlation between pellet abundance and trophy hunting. Yet, it is too early to conclude that trophy hunting is sustainable as it has only recently been initiated in the studied populations.