Ansells Graumull

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Ansells Graumull
Fukomys anselli-2.jpg

Ansells Graumull ( Fukomys anselli )

Systematics
Order : Rodents (Rodentia)
Subordination : Porcupine relatives (Hystricomorpha)
Partial order : Hystricognathi
Family : Sand graves (Bathyergidae)
Genre : Gray Owl ( Fukomys )
Type : Ansells Graumull
Scientific name
Fukomys anselli
( Burda , Zima , Scharff , Macholán & Kawalika , 1999)

Ansells gray bull ( Fukomys anselli , Syn .: Cryptomys anselli ) is a species of gray bull ( Fukomys ) within the sand burrows (Bathyergidae), which is mainly adapted to the underground and burrowing way of life. The species occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and has so far only been documented from the region around Lusaka in Zambia .

features

Ansells Graumull is a medium-sized gray gull and reaches a head-torso length of about 10.8 to 13.5 centimeters with a weight of 65 to 145 grams. The very short tail is about 13.9 to 22.5 millimeters long, the rear foot length is 21.8 to 25.8 millimeters. A sexual dimorphism does not occur, the females and males differ neither in size nor in color. The back coloring of the animals depends on the age and weight of the animals. The newborn young animals are dark slate-gray, after weaning they turn gray-brown and later brown, adult animals have an ocher-golden brown color. Most animals have an inconspicuous white spot on the forehead. The females have 2 pairs of teats in the chest area and one in the loin, for a total of 6 teats.

The skull length is 29 to 39 millimeters and at the widest point the skull is 22 to 30 millimeters wide. As with all other gray bulls, it is strongly built, the molars are small and simple. The infraorbital window in this species is elliptical and thick-walled with a wide base. The upper incisors are not grooved.

From the closely related Kafue gray bull ( Fukomys kafuensis ) it is difficult to distinguish Ansell's gray bull. The spot on the head of the Kafue Graumullus is white and clearly defined, and they also differ in terms of the number of chromosomes in the genome : Ansell's Graumullus has 2n = 68 chromosomes, the Kafue Graumullus 2n = 58 chromosomes.

distribution

Ansells Graumull is endemic in central Zambia and has so far only been detected in the area around the city of Lusaka within a radius of about 100 kilometers. It only occurs north and east of the Kafue and not in its immediate vicinity.

Way of life

Ansells Graumull in Leipzig Zoo

Ansells Graumull lives in the savannah bushland , in agricultural areas and on golf courses with an average rainfall of 820 millimeters per year. Like other gray mulls, the animals live underground and socially in colonies. They are herbivorous and feed on underground tubers, roots and other parts of plants. The colonies consist of family groups of 2 to 25 and an average of 12 individuals, according to other information of 13 or 6 to 16 and an average of 9 individuals with a gender distribution with a slight majority of females (1.2: 1). The colonies can have a very large area and the tunnels reach maximum lengths of up to 2.8 kilometers in total, with the average total length being 1.2 kilometers. The duct systems are strongly branched, especially in the vicinity of the nest, and are often connected to neighboring systems in other colonies by open tunnels.

The colonies are usually formed by a reproductive couple and their offspring for several years, rarely two reproductive females can live in one colony. The offspring do not reproduce with each other and so avoid inbreeding , they help the parents and the colony with nest maintenance and foraging. Reproduction is not seasonal (aseasonal) and about one or two litters are produced in captivity. In field studies, pregnant and lactating females could be identified throughout the year. The gestation period lasts about 84 to 112 days, on average 92 days, and the number of young animals per litter is between one and five, on average two young animals with a birth weight of 5.7 to 10.7 grams. The young are born naked and with their eyes closed, the fur becomes visible after eight to ten days and after about 23 days the animals open their eyes. It is around this time that the kittens also begin to consume solid food, and after around 82 days weighing around 34 grams, they are weaned. Non-reproductive females do not produce complete eggs .

Predators that specialize in Ansell's gray mullet are not known and ectoparasites have not yet been detected. Among the endoparasites , only a comparatively rare infestation with the nematode Protospirura muricola is known.

Systematics

Ansell's gray mull is classified as an independent species within the genus of the gray mull ( Fukomys ), which consists of ten to fourteen species. The first scientific description comes from a working group led by the zoologist Hynek Burda , who lives in Germany, from 1999, who described the animals from the Chainama Hills Golf Club in the north of Lusaka as Cryptomys anselli . The animals were assigned to the African gray bull ( Cryptomys hottentotus ( Lesson 1826)) until they were described as an independent species . In 2006 the genus Cryptomys was split into two genus based on molecular biological characteristics, Ansells Graumull was assigned to the new genus Fukomys with most of the other species , but the split is not generally accepted.

Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species . The species was named after the British zoologist William Frank Harding Ansell , who mainly worked on the mammalian fauna of Africa.

Status, threat and protection

Ansells Graumull is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as a type of warning list (near threatened). This is justified by the limited distribution area with an area of ​​significantly less than 20,000 km 2 and the decline in adult individuals. However, the animals occur in more than 10 regionally separated areas and the range is not very fragmented. The population declines are not so dramatic that they would justify a higher risk level. Concrete population figures are not available, but the species is considered to be relatively common in the area around Lusaka.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Nigel C. Bennett, Hynek Burda: Cryptomys anselli - Ansell's Mole-Rat In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds. ): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 649-650; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e Hynek Burda, J. Zima, Andreas Scharff, M. Macholan, Mathias Kawalika: The karyotypes of Cryptomys anselli sp. nova and Cryptomys kafuensis sp. nova: new species of the common mole-rat from Zambia (Rodentia, Bathyergidae). In: Journal of Mammals. Vol. 64, 1999, pp. 36-50. ( Full text )
  3. ↑ a b Jan Šklíba, Vladimír Mazoch, Hana Patzenhauerová, Ema Hrouzková, Matěj Lövy, Ondřej Kott, Radim Šumbera: A maze-lover's dream: Burrow architecture, natural history and habitat characteristics of Ansell's mole-rat (Fukomys anselli). Mammalian Biology - Journal of Mammalian Science 77 (6), November 2012; Pp. 420-427. doi : 10.1016 / j.mambio.2012.06.004
  4. ↑ a b c d A.M. Sichilima, NC Bennett, CG Faulkes: Field Evidence for Colony Size and Aseasonality of Breeding and in Ansell's Mole-Rat, Fukomys anselli (Rodentia: Bathyergidae). African Zoology 46 (2), 2011; Pp. 334-339. doi : 10.3377 / 004.046.0212
  5. ↑ Colleen M. Ingram, Hynek Burda, Rodney L. Honeycutt: Molecular phylogenetics and taxonomy of the African mole-rats, genus Cryptomys and the new genus Coetomys Gray, 1864. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 31 (3), 2004; Pp. 997-1014. doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2003.11.004
  6. ↑ Dieter Kock, Colleen M. Ingram, Lawrence J. Frabotta, Rodney L. Honeycutt, Hynek Burda: On the nomenclature of Bathyergidae and Fukomys n. Gen. (Mammalia: Rodentia). Zootaxa 1142, 2006; Pp. 51-55.
  7. ↑ a b R.L. Honeycutt: Kafue Mole-rat - Fukomys kafuensis. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6), Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016; P. 369. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
  8. ↑ a b Cryptomys anselli . In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
  9. ↑ Bo Beolens, Michael Watkins, Michael Grayson: The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2009, ISBN 978-0-8018-9304-9 , p. 14.
  10. ↑ a b Fukomys anselli in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species 2015.4. Posted by: FPD Cotterill, S. Maree, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2016.

literature

  • Nigel C. Bennett, Hynek Burda: Cryptomys anselli - Ansell's Mole-Rat In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume III. Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury, London 2013, pp. 649-650; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .
  • RL Honeycutt: Kafue Mole-rat - Fukomys kafuensis. In: Don E. Wilson, TE Lacher, Jr., Russell A. Mittermeier (editors): Handbook of the Mammals of the World: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1. (HMW, Volume 6), Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016; P. 369. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
  • Hynek Burda, J. Zima, Andreas Scharff, M. Macholan, Mathias Kawalika: The karyotypes of Cryptomys anselli sp. nova and Cryptomys kafuensis sp. nova: new species of the common mole-rat from Zambia (Rodentia, Bathyergidae). In: Journal of Mammals. Vol. 64, 1999, pp. 36-50. ( Full text )

Web links

Commons : Ansells Graumull ( Fukomys anselli )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files