Malawi gray mull
| Malawi gray mull | ||||||||||||
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| Fukomys whytei | ||||||||||||
| ( Thomas , 1897) |
The Malawi gray mull ( Fukomys whytei , Syn . : Cryptomys whytei ) is a species of the gray mull ( Fukomys ) within the sand graves (Bathyergidae). Like other gray moulins, it is adapted to an underground and burrowing way of life. So far the species could only be documented in the north of Malawi , it may also occur in the adjacent northeast of Zambia and in the southeast of Tanzania .
features
The Malawi gray mull reaches a head-trunk length of 12.9 to 15.6 centimeters with a weight of 110 to 155 grams, the tail is very short with 1.6 to 2.0 centimeters in length. The males are on average slightly larger and heavier than the females. The medium-sized species has a gray-brown-sand-colored fur, a white mark on the head is missing. The incisor teeth are protruding. The chromosome set consists of 2n = 46 (FN = 76) chromosomes with 15 meta- and 8 acrocentric pairs.
distribution
The Malawi gray mull is only known to be isolated from the Nyika plateau in northern Malawi , it may also occur in the adjacent northeast of Zambia and in the southeast of Tanzania .
Way of life
Very little to no information is available about the species' way of life. The sites are typically in dry forest areas with hard soils at altitudes of 500 to 1760 meters, the annual rainfall averages around 1230 millimeters. Like other fukomys also lives this way largely underground in colonies with several animals and digs burrows that animals feed on herbivores of roots, tubers and other plant parts. On the Nyika plateau, the animals appear sympathetically with the silver-gray earth auger ( Heliophobius argenteocinereus ), whereby this is bound to the softer soils of the higher-lying afromontane grass areas, the Malawi gray mull occurs on the harder soils of the lower-lying tree savannas of the Miombo type . As a solitary species, the silver-gray earth auger is probably not able to colonize the harder and less nourishing soils of the forests, in which the colonies of the gray mull offer advantages through the division of labor. On the other hand, it is more competitive in the softer and colder soils of the high altitudes, in which the gray mole is probably unable to prevail, mainly due to its less effective thermoregulation and other factors.
No information is available on the reproduction and activity of the animals.
Systematics
The Malawi 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 Oldfield Thomas from 1897 as Georychus whytei and was based on a female individual from Lake Malawi in Nyasaland, today's Malawi. It was long regarded as a subspecies of the African gray mullet ( Cryptomys hottentotus ), but was raised to the status of an independent species again through genetic analyzes in 2004 and 2005.
Apart from the nominate form, no subspecies are distinguished within the species . The Graumull was named after the Scottish naturalist Alexander Whyte , who was active in what is now Malawi on behalf of the British government and from whose collection Thomas described the species.
Status, threat and protection
The Malawi gray mull is not yet listed as a separate species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and is treated under the entry of the African gray mull ( Cryptomys hottentotus ). This is regarded as not at risk (least concern).
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i R. L. Honeycutt: Whyte's Mole-rat - Fukomys whytei. 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. 370. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .
- ↑ a b Hynek Burda , Radim Šumbera, Wilbert N. Chitaukali, Gilbert L. Dryden: Taxonomic status and remarks on ecology of the Malawian mole-rat Cryptomys whytei (Rodentia, Bathyergidae). Acta Theriologica 50 (4), December 2005; Pp. 529-536. doi : 10.1007 / BF03192646
- ↑ M. Lövy, J. Šklíba, H. Burda , WN Chitaukali & R. Šumbera: Ecological characteristics in habitats of two African mole-rat species with different social systems in an area of sympatry: implications for the mole-rat social evolution. Journal of Zoology 286, Feb. 26, 2012; Pp. 145-153. doi : 10.1111 / j.1469-7998.2011.00860.x , ( full text ).
- ↑ Oldfield Thomas : [Exhibition of small mammals collected by Mr. Alexander Whyte during his expedition to the Nyika plateau and Masuka Mountains, NR Nyasa.] Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1897; Pp. 430-436. ( Digitized version )
- ↑ CG Faulkes, E. Verheyen, W. Verheyen, JUM Jarvis, NC Bennett: Phylogeographical patterns of genetic divergence and speciation in African mole-rats (Family: Bathyergidae). Molecular Ecology 13 (3), 2004; Pp. 613-629. doi : 10.1046 / j.1365-294X.2004.02099.x
- ^ "Whyte." In: Bo Beolens, Michael Grayson, Michael Watkins: The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009; P. 444; ISBN 978-0-8018-9304-9 .
- ↑ Cryptomys hottentottus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2016.2. Posted by: S. Maree, C. Faulkes, D. Schlitter, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
literature
- RL Honeycutt: Whyte's Mole-rat - Fukomys whytei. 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. 370. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 .