Fukomys anselli (Burda, Zima, Scharff, Macholan & Kawalika, 1999)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6584692 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6584536 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038F4B5A-FFA0-FFD7-AD26-F389B88CC76B |
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treatment provided by |
Carolina |
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scientific name |
Fukomys anselli |
| status |
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11. View Plate 22: Bathyergidae
Ansell’s Mole-rat
French: Bathyergue d/Ansell / German: Ansell-Graumull / Spanish: Rata topo de Ansell
Taxonomy. Cryptomys anselli Burda et al., 1999 View in CoL ,
“Court of the Chainama Hills Golf Club in the north-eastern part of Lusaka, Zambia.”
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. C Zambia, only near University of Lusaka (Ngwerere, Mungule, and Chinunyu). View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 109-135 mm (males) and 108-132 mm (females), tail 15-6-21-7 mm (males) and 13-9-22-9 mm (females); weight 80-126 g (males) and 65-102 g (females). Ansell’s Mole-rat is medium-sized;it has a cylindrical body and short legs and tail, with vibrissae on tail and feet. Dorsal pelage is dark gray to black, with white spot on head of variable size. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 68, FN = 79-82.
Habitat. Sandy to clay soils in cultivated fields, gardens, and savanna—brushland.
Food and Feeding. Ansell’s Mole-rat is herbivorous and eats bulbous roots, geophytes, and crops such as cassava; it does not drink standing water.
Breeding. Breeding of Ansell’s Mole-rat is aseasonal. It is a cooperative breeder, with single breeding female and small number of males; breeders are the largest individuals in a colony. Litter size averages 2-7 young (range 1-4).
Activity patterns. Ansell’s Mole-rats dig with their teeth and burrow more actively after rain. They show evidence of circadian rhythm.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Lengths of burrow tunnels of Ansell’s Mole-rats are 500-2800 m, and homes ranges are 1917-19,103 m*. Colonies of 6-16 individuals contain small numbers of reproductive and non-reproductive molerats. Odors are used to distinguish kin from non-kin.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Ansell’s Mole-rats are harvested by humans and considered an agricultural pest.
Bibliography. Amori & Cox (2008), Burda et al. (1999), De Vries et al. (2008), Heth et al. (2004), Monadjem et al. (2015), Sichilima etal. (2011), Skliba et al. (2012).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
