Chrysospalax villosa A.Smith 1833
Creators: name: Russell A. Mittermeier
name: Don E. Wilson
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Afrosoricida
Chrysochloridae
Chrysospalax
Chrysospalax villosa

description: 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).
description: Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Chrysochloridae, pp. 180-203 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 201-202, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6624497