Chrysochloris visagier, 1799

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Chrysochloridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 180-203 : 201

16.

Visagie’s Golden Mole

Chrysochloris visagier

French: Taupe-dorée de Visagie / German: Visagie-Goldmull / Spanish: Topo dorado de Visagie

Taxonomy. Chrysochloris visagiet Broom, 1950 ,

“Gouna, b4 miles [= 87 km] east of Calvinia,” Northern Cape Province, South Africa .

Chrysochloris visagieir is of uncertain taxonomic placement (incertae sedis) and might be an aberrant C. asiatica . Additional specimens are needed to clarify taxonomy. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Northern Cape Province, W South Africa.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 106 mm, hindfoot 12 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Dorsum of Visagie’s Golden Mole is pale tawny olive; venter is paler. Underfur is pale slate-gray, hidden by long tawny tips. Facial hairs are slightly paler than rest of body, and below the nose, it is much paler.

Habitat. Alluvial sand floodplains of the Bushmanland Nama Karoo.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red Lust. Provenance of the type specimen of Visagie’s Golden Mole is uncertain, and it has only been seen once (no specimens have been seen or collected since its description).

Bibliography. Bronner (2013b, 2016), Broom (1950).

Figures

0. Yellow Golden Mole (Calcochloris obtusirostris), 1. Hottentot Golden Mole (Amblysomus hottentotus), 2. Robust Golden Mole (Amblysomus robustus), 3. Highveld Golden Mole (Amblysomus septentrionalis), 4. Marley’s Golden Mole (Amblysomus marleyi), 5. Fynbos Golden Mole (Amblysomus corriae), 7. Congo Golden Mole (Huetia leucorhina), 8. Somali Golden Mole (Huetia tytonis), 9. Gunning’s Golden Mole (Neamblysomus gunningi), 10. Juliana’s Golden Mole (Neamblysomus julianae), 11. Arend’s Golden Mole (Carpitalpa arendsi), 12. Sclater’s Golden Mole (Chlorotalpa sclateri), 13. Duthie’s Golden Mole (Chlorotalpa duthieae), 14. Stuhlmann’s Golden Mole (Chrysochloris stuhlmanni), 15. Cape Golden Mole (Chrysochloris asiatica), 16. Visagie’s Golden Mole (Chrysochloris visagier), 17. Rough-haired Golden Mole (Chrysospalax villosa), 18. Giant Golden Mole (Chrysospalax trevelyani), 19. De Winton’s Golden Mole (Cryptochloris wintoni), 20. Van Zyl's Golden Mole (Cryptochloris zyli), 21. Grant's Golden Mole (Eremitalpa grant)

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Northern Cape Province, W South Africa.