Chrysospalax villosa, A.Smith, 1833

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Chrysochloridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 180-203 : 201-202

17.

Rough-haired Golden Mole

Chrysospalax villosa

French: Taupe-dorée a poil dur / German: RauhaarGoldmull / Spanish: Topo dorado de pelaje aspero

Taxonomy. Chrysochloris villosa A. Smith, 1833 ,

KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Widely used specific name villosus and sub- specific names rufopallidus and rufus have been changed for gender agreement. Six subspecies recognized, but subspecific taxonomy requires reassessment.

Subspecies and Distribution.

C.v.villosaA.Smith,1833—nearDurban,KwaZulu-Natal,ESouthAfrica.

C.v.dobsoniBroom,1918—PietermaritzburgandKwaZulu-NatalMidlands,ESouthAfrica.

C.v.leschaeBroom,1918—EEasternCapeProvince,SESouthAfrica.

C.v.rufaMeester,1953—knownonlyfromthetypelocalityinSpitzkop,CKwaZulu-NatalProvince,ESouthAfrica.

C.v.rufopallidaRoberts,1924—areasaroundBelfastandWakkerstroom,NC&SMpumalangaProvince,NESouthAfrica.

C. v. transvaalensis Broom, 1913 — areas around Pretoria and Witwatersrand, Gauteng Province, NE South Africa.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 148-175 mm (males) and 127-160 mm (females), hindfoot 14-17 mm (males) and 13-20 mm (females); weight 108-160 g (males) and 93-105 g (females). The Rough-haired Golden Mole is the second largest species in the family and has long, very coarse pelage. Dorsum varies from yellowish brown and grayish brown to dark slate-gray; venter is paler. Guard hairs are sparse and glossy; dense underfur is slate-gray.

Habitat. Grasslands and marshland edges in various types of highveld and mountain grasslands, suburban gardens, and along edges of golf courses, preferring dry sandy soils and dense vegetation cover.

Food and Feeding. The Rough-haired Golden Mole eats insects and earthworms. It forages underground but also aboveground at night after rain. It uses tough nose-pad to root around, with feeding areas marked by stirred up soil.

Breeding. Female Rough-haired Golden Moles give birth to two young.

Activity patterns. Rough-haired Golden Moles are expected to be primarily nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Short burrows of Rough-haired Golden Moles are characterized by loose piles of soil that are left open when they go out to forage along well-defined surface runways. They move quickly on the surface to reach burrows when escaping danger. They have not been noted to make subsurface runs like other golden moles.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Rough-haired Golden Mole has a small area of occupancy, occurring at fewer than ten locations, and ongoing decline in suitable habitat. Conservation threats are habitat loss through urban sprawl, power infrastructure development, poor agricultural practices (particularly increasing occurrence of livestock grazing in wetlands), and mining.

Bibliography. Bronner (2013b), Bronner & Asher (2016b), Skinner & Chimimba (2005).

Figures

0. Yellow Golden Mole (Calcochloris obtusirostris), 1. Hottentot Golden Mole (Amblysomus hottentotus), 2. Robust Golden Mole (Amblysomus robustus), 3. Highveld Golden Mole (Amblysomus septentrionalis), 4. Marley’s Golden Mole (Amblysomus marleyi), 5. Fynbos Golden Mole (Amblysomus corriae), 7. Congo Golden Mole (Huetia leucorhina), 8. Somali Golden Mole (Huetia tytonis), 9. Gunning’s Golden Mole (Neamblysomus gunningi), 10. Juliana’s Golden Mole (Neamblysomus julianae), 11. Arend’s Golden Mole (Carpitalpa arendsi), 12. Sclater’s Golden Mole (Chlorotalpa sclateri), 13. Duthie’s Golden Mole (Chlorotalpa duthieae), 14. Stuhlmann’s Golden Mole (Chrysochloris stuhlmanni), 15. Cape Golden Mole (Chrysochloris asiatica), 16. Visagie’s Golden Mole (Chrysochloris visagier), 17. Rough-haired Golden Mole (Chrysospalax villosa), 18. Giant Golden Mole (Chrysospalax trevelyani), 19. De Winton’s Golden Mole (Cryptochloris wintoni), 20. Van Zyl's Golden Mole (Cryptochloris zyli), 21. Grant's Golden Mole (Eremitalpa grant)

Subspecies and Distribution. C.v.villosaA.Smith,1833—nearDurban,KwaZulu-Natal,ESouthAfrica. C.v.dobsoniBroom,1918—PietermaritzburgandKwaZulu-NatalMidlands,ESouthAfrica. C.v.leschaeBroom,1918—EEasternCapeProvince,SESouthAfrica. C.v.rufaMeester,1953—knownonlyfromthetypelocalityinSpitzkop,CKwaZulu-NatalProvince,ESouthAfrica. C.v.rufopallidaRoberts,1924—areasaroundBelfastandWakkerstroom,NC&SMpumalangaProvince,NESouthAfrica. C. v. transvaalensis Broom, 1913 — areas around Pretoria and Witwatersrand, Gauteng Province, NE South Africa.