Fukomys vandewoestijneae (Van Daele, Blondé, Stjernstedt & Adriaens, 2013)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6584692 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6584544 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038F4B5A-FFA1-FFD6-AD91-FC81BB3FCAB8 |
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treatment provided by |
Carolina |
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scientific name |
Fukomys vandewoestijneae |
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14. View Plate 22: Bathyergidae
Caroline’s Mole-rat
French: Bathyergue de Caroline / German: Katanga-Graumull / Spanish: Rata topo de Caroline
Taxonomy. Fukomys vandewoestiineae Van Daele et al., 2013,
Sabitonto River (10° 59’ 30-5” S, 24° 10° 09-3” E), 1308 m, Katanga Province, DR Congo.
F. vandewoestijneae is most similar to F. mechowii and F bocagei , but they can be distinguished based on cranial and dental measurements, characteristics of chromosomes, and nucleotide sequence data from mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene. Monotypic.
Distribution. Restricted to the border between NW Zambia and S DR Congo, but it probably also occurs in nearby areas in E Angola. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 87-150 mm, tail 14-21 mm; weight 64-134 g. Measurements are from the holotype and paratypes. Caroline’s Mole-rat is mediumsized, with completely brown pelage tending toward grayish brown on ventral side; tail is short; feet and nose are pinkish; mouth has protruding incisors; and white head mark is missing or faint in most individuals. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 44, FN = 76.
Habitat. Grassland, woodland, and agriculturalfields with high rainfall.
Food and Feeding. Caroline’s Mole-rat is herbivorous and eats underground plant material such as tubers and geophytes.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. There is no information available for this species.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Caroline’s Mole-rat is colonial and lives in burrow systems; burrow size is limited in some areas.
Status and Conservation. The Caroline’s Mole-rat has not been assessed on The [UCN Red List because it was described recently. Data are deficient for an accurate determination of its conservation status; however, the region where it occurs has high species diversity and endemism. Probably one of the greatest conservation threats to Caroline’s Mole-rat comes from humans, who harvest it for food and modify its habitat for agriculture.
Bibliography. Van Daele, Blondé et al. (2013), Van Daele, Verheyen et al. (2007).
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.