Three names were shortlisted for the mascot - a female red howler monkey - with voting open on the Brazilian Paralympic Committee's (CPB) Facebook page.

More than 7,500 votes were cast with Mona winning with a tally of 3,053.

Mona is the Spanish word for female monkey, with Mina, a São Paulo slang word meaning girls, and Sampa - a nickname for the host city, the other shortlisted suggestions.

CPB President Andrew Parsons said the mascot "aims at winning everyone’s sympathy and is pivotal to the competition's identity".

Howler monkeys frequent Brazil's Atlantic Forest, with one protected area located near to the Brazilian Paralympic Centre in São Paulo, where competition at the Games will take place between March 20 and 25 next year.

Around 1,000 athletes aged between 12 and 21 are expected for the Youth Games, from more than 20 countries.

Twelve sports will be contested: athletics, boccia, football five-a-side, football seven-a-side, goalball, judo, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis.

The last edition of the Games was held in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires in 2013.

Brazil topped the medals table and 15 countries reached the podium at least once.