Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Angolan Giant Mole-rat, Mechow's Mole Rat
Description
Habitat
Biome: Terrestrial [1].
Ecology:
This is a subterranean
species that inhabits a variety of soil types
(including stony soil, pure sand
and clay
) in savanna
bushland and
dense Acacia woodland with an annual
rainfal of over 1,100 mm.
It
is an adaptable species and has been recorded from agricultural land
and abandoned fields
, gardens, and pine plantations. This is a social
species, with colonies generally consisting of between two and 20
individuals (although there may be as many as 40 animals). (Ref.
266321).
List of Habitats
:
- 2 Savanna
- 2.2 Savanna - Moist
- 3 Shrubland
- 3.5 Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry
- 4 Grassland
- 4.5 Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry [more info]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
()
- (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Phylum:
Chordata
()
- Bateson, 1885
- Chordates
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
()
- Cuvier, 1812
- Vertebrates
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
()
- auct.
- Jawed Vertebrates
- Superclass:
Tetrapoda
()
- Goodrich, 1930
- Class:
Mammalia
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Subclass:
Theriiformes
()
- (Rowe, 1988) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Infraclass:
Holotheria
()
- (Wible et al., 1995) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Superlegion:
Trechnotheria
()
- McKenna, 1975
- Legion:
Cladotheria
()
- McKenna, 1975
- Sublegion:
Zatheria
()
- McKenna, 1975
- Infralegion:
Tribosphenida
()
- (McKenna, 1975) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Supercohort:
Theria
()
- (Parker & Haswell, 1897) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Cohort:
Placentalia
()
- (Owen, 1837) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Magnorder:
Epitheria
()
- (Mckenna, 1975) M.c. Mckenna & S.k. Bell, 1997
- Superorder:
Preptotheria
()
- (McKenna, 1975) McKenna, in Stucky & McKenna, in Benton, ed., 1993
- Grandorder:
Anagalida
()
- (Szalay & McKenna, 1971) McKenna, 1975
- Mirorder:
Simplicidentata
()
- (Weber, 1904) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
- Order:
Rodentia
()
- Bowdich, 1821
- Rodents
- Suborder:
Hystricognatha
()
- Woods, 1976
- Infraorder:
Hystricognathi
()
- Tullberg, 1899
- Parvorder:
Bathyergomorphi
()
- (Tullberg, 1899) M.c. Mckenna & S.k. Bell, 1997
- Family:
Bathyergidae
()
- Waterhouse, 1841
- Subfamily:
Bathyerginae
()
- Genus:
Cryptomys
()
- (Gray, 1864)
- Specific name:
mechowi
- (Peters, 1881)
- Scientific name: - Cryptomys mechowi (Peters, 1881)
- Specific name:
mechowi
- (Peters, 1881)
- Genus:
Cryptomys
(
- Subfamily:
Bathyerginae
(
- Family:
Bathyergidae
(
- Parvorder:
Bathyergomorphi
(
- Infraorder:
Hystricognathi
(
- Suborder:
Hystricognatha
(
- Order:
Rodentia
(
- Mirorder:
Simplicidentata
(
- Grandorder:
Anagalida
(
- Superorder:
Preptotheria
(
- Magnorder:
Epitheria
(
- Cohort:
Placentalia
(
- Supercohort:
Theria
(
- Infralegion:
Tribosphenida
(
- Sublegion:
Zatheria
(
- Legion:
Cladotheria
(
- Superlegion:
Trechnotheria
(
- Infraclass:
Holotheria
(
- Subclass:
Theriiformes
(
- Class:
Mammalia
(
- Superclass:
Tetrapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
(
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
(
- Phylum:
Chordata
(
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
(
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Last scrutiny: 19-Apr-2001
Similar Species
Members of the genus Cryptomys
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 10 species and subspecies in this genus:
C. anselli (Zambian Mole-Rat) · C. bocagei (Bocage's Mole Rat) · C. damarensis (Botswanan Mole-Rat) · C. darlingi (Mashona Mole-Rat) · C. foxi (Nigerian Mole-Rat) · C. hottentotus (Hottentot Mole-Rat) · C. hottentotus hottentotus (Hottentot Mole-Rat) · C. mechowi (Angolan Giant Mole-Rat) · C. ochraceocinereus (Central African Mole-Rat) · C. zechi (Ghana Mole Rat)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). London: BM(NH) url p. 85, p. 99.
- The families and genera of living rodents / by J.R. Ellerman; with a list of named forms (1758-1936) by R.W. Hayman and G.W.C.Holt. London: British Museum, 1940. url p. 90.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 9, 2012.
- IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. . Downloaded on January 28, 2012.
- Maree, S. & Faulkes, C. 2008. Cryptomys mechowi. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloadedon 31January2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 03, 2008:
- BeBIF Provider: African Rodentia
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 106371
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-584672
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 584672
- IUCN ID: 203199
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 3653
Footnotes
- Maree, S. & Faulkes, C. 2008. Cryptomys mechowi. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 31 January 2012. [back]
