Ghana gray mull

Ghana gray mull
Systematics
Order :	Rodents (Rodentia)
Subordination :	Porcupine relatives (Hystricomorpha)
Partial order :	Hystricognathi
Family :	Sand graves (Bathyergidae)
Genre :	Gray Owl ( Fukomys )
Type :	Ghana gray mull
Scientific name
	Fukomys zechi
	( Matschie , 1900)

The Ghana-Graumull , Togo Graumull or Zech Graumull ( Fukomys zechi , Syn. : Cryptomys zechi ) is a type of fukomys ( Fukomys ) within the blesmol (Bathyergidae) which is adapted especially to the underground and grave lifestyle. The species occurs in West Africa south of the Sahara in Ghana and Togo .

features

The Ghana gray mull is a medium-sized gray mull and reaches a head-trunk length of about 17 centimeters with a weight of about 220 grams. The very short tail is about 15 millimeters long, the rear foot length is 27 millimeters. There is no pronounced sexual dimorphism , the females and males differ neither in size nor in color. The back fur of the animals is short and velvety soft. The back color is pale cinnamon brown to sand colored and can vary slightly over time, the hair is monochrome and can have a white base. The head is dull, there is a white spot on the forehead in many individuals. The eyes are very small, ears are missing. The incisor teeth protrude above the lips, the whiskers are very long. The legs are short and the fore and hind feet broad and hairless. Both the front and rear feet have five toes each. The tail is very short and reaches about 8% of the length of the head and torso. It is barely visible and has short, bristle-like hair. The females have two pairs of teats in the chest area and one in the loin, for a total of 6 teats.

The skull length is about 43 millimeters and at the widest point the skull is about 31 millimeters wide. The row of teeth from the fourth premolar to the last molar of the upper jaw is 8.3 millimeters long. As with all other gray bulls, it is strongly built, the molars are small and simple. The nasal bones are widest at the front end. The infraorbital foramen in this species is round-oval with a diameter of about 2 millimeters and thick-walled. The upper incisors are not grooved and are comparatively wide with a width of about 3.2 millimeters.

There is a risk of confusion with the Nigerian gray mullet ( Fukomys foxi ), which is slightly smaller on average. It is also dark-sepia brown and differs from the Ghana-Graumull by various features of the skull such as the shape of the nasal bones, which have the widest point in the rear area and the significantly narrower incisors. The species is only found in Nigeria .

distribution

The Ghana gray mull is found in West Africa south of the Sahara in eastern and central Ghana between the rivers Oti and Volta and in Togo . According to other sources, the species only lives as an endemic in Ghana while the attribution for Togo is attributed solely to the location of the type in the surrounding area of the Kete Krachi , which then belonged to Togo and which today belongs to Ghana. Another attribution from the southwest of Sudan is assessed as a misassignment of a Central African gray mull ( Fukomys ochraceocinereus ).

Way of life

The Ghana gray mull lives underground in the grasslands in silty loam soils , which are usually made up of individual trees such as Khaya senegalensis , the shea tree ( Vitellaria paradoxa ), the African baobab tree ( Adansonia digitata ), Parkia clappentoniana and the kapok tree ( Ceiba pentandra ) as well as in agricultural areas.

Very little information is available on the biology of the species, but it probably corresponds to that of other gray mulls. Like other gray mulls, the animals live in colonies in underground burrows. The colony consists of one to seven, an average of four, animals made up of roughly equal proportions of males and females and are likely to be families. Reproduction is restricted to one pair within the colony. The animals are herbivorous and feed on subterranean tubers, roots and other parts of plants, including yams and cassava in agricultural areas . The female can probably have one or two kittens twice a year, the lifespan is estimated to be five to six years.

Systematics

The Ghana 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 the German naturalist Paul Matschie from 1900, who described the animals from the German colony Togo in the area around Kete Krachi , today Ghana, under the name Georychus zechi . The species was later transferred to the genus Cryptomys , in 2006 this genus was separated into two genera on the basis of molecular biological characteristics. The Central African gray mullet was assigned to the new genus Fukomys with most of the other species , but the split was not generally accepted. In some cases, the Ghana gray gull was considered a synonym for the Central African gray gull ( Fukomys ochraceocinereus ).

In addition to the nominate form, no subspecies are currently distinguished within the species .

Status, threat and protection

The Ghana gray mull is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered (least concern). This is justified by the regular occurrence in the distribution area and the lack of risks that could endanger the existence of the company. It occurs in the Mole National Park , among other places . In parts of Ghana the species is considered an agricultural pest.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Nigel C. Bennett: Cryptomys zechi - Togo 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. 661-662; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Fukomys zechi in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Posted by: S. Maree, C. Faulkes, D. Schlitter, 2008. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d R.L. Honeycutt: Ghana Mole-rat - Fukomys zechi. 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. 368. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
↑ 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
↑ 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.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Cryptomys zechi . 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 .

literature

Nigel C. Bennett: Cryptomys zechi - Togo 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. 661-662; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .
RL Honeycutt: Ghana Mole-rat - Fukomys zechi. 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. 368. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .

Web links

Fukomys zechi inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.2. Posted by: S. Maree, C. Faulkes, D. Schlitter, 2008. Retrieved October 5, 2016.

[Bennett_2013-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Nigel C. Bennett: Cryptomys zechi - Togo 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. 661-662; ISBN 978-1-4081-2253-2 .