Gunnings gold mole
| Gunnings gold mole | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Neamblysomus gunningi | ||||||||||||
| ( Broom , 1908) |
Gunnings gold mole ( Neamblysomus gunningi ) is a species of gold mole . It occurs in southeastern Africa , its entire population is distributed over half a dozen well-known localities, which are located in the original mountain forests on the foothills of the Drakensberg . Characteristic of the animals are the spindle-shaped body, which is also typical of other golden mole, the externally invisible ears and the missing tail as well as the strong claws. These enable Gunnings Goldmull to dig in the ground and create complex tunnel systems. Overall, the way of life has not been adequately researched; he lives solitary and feeds on invertebrates . It was first described in 1908. The species is considered to be critically endangered, mainly due to logging and the naturally fragmented habitat.
features
Habitus
Gunnings Goldmull is a medium-sized representative of the Goldmulle and is built similar to the Hottentot Goldmull ( Amblysomus hottentotus ). He reaches a head-torso length of 11.1 to 13.2 cm, his body weight varies from 39 to 70 g. A sex dimorphism is that males grow on average larger and heavier than females. As with the other Goldmullen, the body is rather spindle-shaped, ears and tail are not externally visible. The back fur has a shiny, dark, reddish-brown coloration, the belly has a fawn-colored tint. On the throat and cheeks, however, a yellowish-brown color predominates. The limbs are short and strong, the hands have four rays and the feet have five rays. The large grave claws of the hands appear conspicuous, but they are overall somewhat slimmer than those of the Hottentot gold mole. The claw of the third finger is the largest, it becomes 12.5 to 14 mm long and 4.3 to 4.9 mm long at the base. That of the second finger is significantly shorter at 6 to 7.5 mm, as is that of the first finger. On the fourth finger, however, there is only a button-like, greatly reduced claw. The entire rear foot measures 13 to 18 mm in length.
Skull and dentition features
The skull becomes 27 to 29 mm long and 15.9 to 18.2 mm wide. There are no major differences between the two sexes. Overall, the skull is rather elongated and slender, the width is about 60 to 63% of the greatest length, the width of the palate is accordingly 28 to 30%. The teeth comprises 36 teeth and has the following tooth formula on . The molars are characterized by three small cusps on the chewing surface ( tricuspid ). A third molar occasionally appears in the upper dentition, in the lower it is regular, but variable in the respective half of the jaw. Overall, it is similar to the other molars, but with prolonged use it quickly takes on a nail-like shape. In adult individuals, the talonid is absent on the lower molars, but is sometimes present in young animals. The row of teeth from the canine to the second molar in the upper jaw measures 6.7 to 7.3 mm.
distribution
Gunnings Goldmull is endemic in southern Africa , the occurrence is limited to six localities on the northern foothills of the Drakensberg near Haenertsburg, New Agatha and Tzaneen in the South African province of Limpopo . The entire distribution area, which is located in the southern edge areas of the Zambezi Forest Zone, amounts to an area of 1327 km², but the populated area only covers 96 km². The animals live in habitats with original mountain forests of the Afromontane zone and adjacent grasslands, but also occur in cultivated landscapes such as gardens or plantations. They prefer moist soils near flowing or standing water. They can occur quite frequently locally.
Way of life
Little information is available about the way of life of Gunnings Goldmull. It lives solitary and is nocturnal, often shortly after rainfall. During the day it falls into a torpor . The animals create complex, two-tier tunnel systems consisting of near-surface and deeper tunnels between 15 and 30 cm below the surface of the earth. The former are mainly used for looking for food, the latter for resting and raising the young. They are often indicated by small mounds of earth at the entrances. The diet consists mainly of invertebrates . According to the investigation of three stomach contents, earthworms dominated , animals in human care also ate mealworms , crickets and young mice . Gunnings gold mole seldom appears to search for food on the earth's surface. On short excursions like this, it usually looks for prey in the leaf waste at night. Pregnant females have so far been observed between February and May. This leads to the conclusion that the rearing of the young takes place in the humid summer period.
Systematics
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Internal systematics of the gold mole according to Asher et al. 2010
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Gunnings Goldmull is a species from the genus Neamblysomus , which consists of a total of two members and belongs to the Goldmulle family (Chrysochloridae). The golden mole occur endemically in Africa and comprise small, soil-digging mammals from the parentage of the Afrotheria . Their main distribution is in southern Africa, but a few species are also found in parts of eastern or central Africa. The subterranean way of life of the golden mole means that the habitats of the individual species are narrowly defined with a few exceptions. Two ecological groups can be distinguished within the family. One is made up of forms dry to some semi-desert-like landscapes together, these include some of Grant's golden mole ( Eremitalpa ) or chrysochloris ( Chrysochloris ). The second group of residents open grass and savannah and of forests, for example, the amblysomus ( Amblyomus ) and representatives of the genus Neamblysomus , but also the chrysospalax ( Chrysospalax ) or Arends' Goldmull ( Carpitalpa ). The internal structure of the family has not yet been adequately clarified. Often, due to the construction of the hammer in the middle ear, a distinction is made between two or three subfamilies: the Amblysominae with a normally built malleus, the Chrysochlorinae with a greatly elongated head of the malleus and the Eremitalpinae with a spherically inflated head of the malleus. Some authors combine the latter two into a subfamily, the Chrysochlorinae. From a molecular genetic point of view, this subdivision of the gold mole, based on differences in skeletal anatomy, has not yet been fully understood. According to the genetic studies, however, Carpitalpa and Amblysomus are the closest relatives of Neamblysomus .
There are no known subspecies of Gunnings Goldmull, nor are there any major geographic variations. The first scientific description of the species was in 1908 by Robert Broom under the name Chrysochloris gunningi . He carried out it on the basis of a female individual, which was collected in early December 1907 by F. Vaughan Kirby in the Woodbush Hills of the Soutpansberge and given to the Transvaal Museum by Jan Willem Boudewyn Gunning . In Gunning's honor, Broom chose the specific epithet . The find region is considered a type locality. In 1924 Austin Roberts created the genus Neamblysomus with Neamblysomus gunningi as a type, whose properties he saw in the higher number of teeth, resulting from the regular formation of the rearmost, third molars, and the poorly developed talonid on the lower jaw teeth. However, he attested that the new genus had a general similarity to the gold copper bulls. Other authors classified Gunnings gold mole and thus the genus Neamblysomus in the copper gold mole in the course of the 20th century. Due to the deviations in the tooth design, but also differences in the karyotype , Gary N. Bronner reintroduced Neamblysomus in the mid-1990s and grouped Gunnings Goldmull together with Julianas Goldmull ( Neamblysomus julianae ) as clade to be distinguished from the copper goldmulls . Further molecular genetic studies could confirm this.
Hazard and protection
The greatest threat to the existence of Gunnings Goldmull is found in the overprinting and further fragmentation of habitats by forestry and the associated necessary infrastructure in the form of roads and transport routes. In addition, the expansion of human settlements, economic areas and the tourist development of the landscapes also influence the local populations . Overgrazing by grazing cattle, the capture of individual animals by domestic dogs and cats, and expulsion by gardeners also play a certain role. The IUCN leads the way as "critically endangered" ( endangered ). Three of the six known localities where Gunnings Goldmull occurs are fully protected ( De Hoek , New Agatha and Woodbush Forest Reserve ), but the increasing privatization of the forests can have a negative impact. Currently, the species is not subject to any major conservation efforts, but detailed documentation of the animals' way of life and ecological needs is required, as is more precise data on population genetics and relationships.
literature
- Gary N. Bronner and Nigel C. Bennett: Neamblysomus gunningi (Broom, 1908) - Gunning's Golden mole. In: John D. Skinner and Christian T. Chimimba (Eds.): The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion. Cambridge University Press, 2005, pp. 14-15
- Gary N. Bronner: Neamblysomus gunningi Gunning's Golden-mole. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume I. Introductory Chapters and Afrotheria. Bloomsbury, London, 2013, pp. 255-256
- William A. Taylor, Samantha Mynhardt and Sarita Maree: Chrysochloridae (Golden moles). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 8: Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2018, pp. 180–203 (pp. 198–199) ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Robert Broom: Further Observations on the Chrysochloridae. Annals of the Transvaal Museum 1 (1), 1908, pp. 14-16
- ^ A b c d e f Gary N. Bronner and Nigel C. Bennett: Neamblysomus gunningi (Broom, 1908) - Gunning's Golden mole. In: John D. Skinner and Christian T. Chimimba (Eds.): The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion. Cambridge University Press, 2005, pp. 14-15
- ↑ a b c d e Gary N. Bronner: Neamblysomus gunningi Gunning's Golden-mole. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume I. Introductory Chapters and Afrotheria. Bloomsbury, London, 2013, pp. 255-256
- ^ A b c d William A. Taylor, Samantha Mynhardt and Sarita Maree: Chrysochloridae (Golden moles). In: Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 8: Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2018, pp. 180–203 (pp. 198–199) ISBN 978-84-16728-08-4
- ^ A b S. Maree: Neamblysomus gunningi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015. e.T1087A21283546 ( [1] ); last accessed on December 6, 2015
- ↑ a b c Robert J. Asher, Sarita Maree, Gary Bronner, Nigel C. Bennett, Paulette Bloomer, Paul Czechowski, Matthias Meyer and Michael Hofreiter: A phylogenetic estimate for golden moles (Mammalia, Afrotheria, Chrysochloridae). MC Evolutionary Biology 10, 2010, p. 69 doi : 10.1186 / 1471-2148-10-69
- ^ A b Alberto M. Simonetta: A new golden mole from Somalia with an appendix on the taxonomy of the family Chrysochloridae (Mammalia, Insectivora). Monitore Zoologico Italiano NS Supplement 2, 1968, pp. 27-55
- ^ Gary N. Bronner: Family Chrysochloridae Golden-moles. In: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume I. Introductory Chapters and Afrotheria. Bloomsbury, London, 2013, pp. 223-225
- ^ Austin Roberts: Some additions to the list of South African Mammals. Annals of the Transvaal Museum 10 (2), 1924, pp. 59-76
- ^ F. Petter: Remarques sur la systematique des Chrysochlorides. Mammalia 45 (1), 1981, pp. 49-53
- ^ Gary N. Bronner: Cytogenetic Properties of Nine Species of Golden Moles (Insectivora: Chrysochloridae). Journal of Mammalogy 76 (3), 1995, pp. 957-971
- ^ Gary N. Bronner, M. Hoffmann, PJ Taylor, Christian T. Chimimba, PB Best, CA Matthee and TJ Robinson: A revised systematic checklist of the extant mammals of the southern African subregion. Durban Museum Novitates 28, 2003, pp. 56-95
Web links
- Neamblysomus gunningi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2015 Posted by: Maree, 2014. Retrieved on December 6, 2015.