Mammals
Somali golden mole (Calcochloris tytonis)
The Somali golden mole (Calcochloris tytonis) is known only from pieces of jaw and ear bone found in a barn owl pellet at Jowhar, Somalia, in 1964. It is endemic to Somalia. The IUCN Red List lists it as Data Deficient: there is too little information to judge its risk.
In short
The Somali golden mole (Calcochloris tytonis) is a golden mole, a small burrowing mammal of the family Chrysochloridae. It is endemic to Somalia (GBIF, Calcochloris tytonis).
How it was found
In 1964 Alberto Simonetta of the University of Florence found pieces of its jaw and ear bones inside a barn owl pellet at Jowhar, in Middle Shabelle. An owl pellet is the ball of bones and fur that an owl coughs up after eating (Wikipedia, Somali golden mole, backup). Simonetta published the species in 1968 (GBIF Backbone Taxonomy).
How it differs from other golden moles
Its lower jaw has a different shape from other members of the family. The length of the jaw fits within the range of Amblysomus leucorhinus and Amblysomus sclateri, but the rising part of the jaw is much wider, by about 2 mm, than in the closest match (Wikipedia, Somali golden mole, backup).
Records in Somali lands
The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) holds 3 records of the Somali golden mole from Somalia (GBIF occurrence search, Somalia). By type: 3 specimens cited in published papers.
GBIF only holds what museums, scientists and observers have shared, so the counts show where the animal or plant has been recorded, not its full range.
Red List status
The IUCN Red List category for the Somali golden mole is Data Deficient (IUCN Red List assessment; GBIF species page).
Classification
| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Afrosoricida |
| Family | Chrysochloridae |
| Genus | Calcochloris |
| Species | Calcochloris tytonis |
Scientific name with author: Calcochloris tytonis (Simonetta, 1968) (GBIF Backbone Taxonomy).
Related pages
Sources
Sources
- GBIF, Calcochloris tytonis · gbif.org
- Wikipedia, Somali golden mole, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- GBIF occurrence search, Somalia · gbif.org
- IUCN Red List assessment · doi.org
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