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- Heliophobius argenteocinereus Peters, 1846
Heliophobius argenteocinereus Peters, 1846
Order: Rodentia > Family: Bathyergidae > Genus: Heliophobius > Species: Heliophobius argenteocinereus Peters, 1846
Common Name: Silvery Mole Rat [English]
Type Description
Bericht Verhandl. K. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 11:259.
Type Locality
Mozambique, Tete (on the Zambezi River).
Measurements
Total length: 140-193 mm
Head and body: 100-200 mm
Tail length: 15-40 mm
Hindfoot length: 27-35 mm
Ear length: 2-5 mm
Weight: 142-168 g
Head and body: 100-200 mm
Tail length: 15-40 mm
Hindfoot length: 27-35 mm
Ear length: 2-5 mm
Weight: 142-168 g
Description
This burrowing rodent is differentiated from Cryptomys, another burrower, by the long hair length. These animals commonly have white patches on the head and other parts of the body.
Distribution
Preferring lower altitudes up to 1,500 m in drier and warmer habitats like in the central and eastern Miombo woodlands, Heliophobius argenteocinereus can be found in sandy soils on rocky hillsides, in the open plains or in woodlands from Tanzania to the Dem. Rep. of Congo, Malawi, Zambia and northern Mozambique. (Kingdon, 1984, 1997)
Key References
1. Kingdon, J. 1984. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Hares and Rodents). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2B:486-488.
2. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 185.
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2:1635-1636, 1639-1640.
4. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.
2. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 185.
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2:1635-1636, 1639-1640.
4. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.