Hyderabad, Dec. 16 (PTI): A previously unknown species of monkey has been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh, said the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society.

Named after the state where it was found, Arunachal Macaque is a relatively large brown primate with a comparatively short tail, as described in the forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Primatology.

The last species of macaque to be discovered in the wild ? in 1903 ? was the Indonesian Pagai Macaque.

?This new species comes from a biologically rich area that is perhaps India?s last unknown frontier,? said scientist M.D. Madhusudan, who was part of the discovery team that included members of the Nature Conservation Foundation and its associates.

The macaque family has some 20 different species found mainly in Asia. The Arunachal Macaque is one of the highest-dwelling primates in the world, living 1600-3500 metres above sea level.

?Although the monkey is new to science, the animal is well known to the residents of the Himalayan districts of Tawang and West Kameng, where the species occurs. The monkey?s species name, mun zala, means deep-forest monkey in the vernacular of the Dirang Monpa people,? a BBC News website quoted the society as saying.