Chrysochloris visagiei

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	AFROSORICIDA	CHRYSOCHLORIDAE

Scientific Name:

Chrysochloris visagiei

Species Authority:

Broom, 1950

Common Name/s:

English

–

Visagie's Golden Mole

Taxonomic Notes:

Subgenus Chrysochloris. Possibly an aberrant asiatica; see Meester (1974). Simonetta (1968:31) listed it as a subspecies of asiatica. This could be incertae sedis.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Data Deficient ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s:

Bronner, G.

Reviewer/s:

Rathbun, G. (Afrotheria Red List Authority) & Hoffmann, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Justification:
Agriculture has dramatically transformed habitat at the type locality, but impact thereof cannot be assessed given uncertainty about provenance of the type specimen and/or the habitat requirements of the species. No specimens have been seen or collected since its description, despite two expeditions to the type locality. Further research may show this species to qualify for Critically Endangered.

History:

2006	–	Data Deficient (IUCN 2006)
1996	–	Critically Endangered
1994	–	Indeterminate (Groombridge 1994)
1990	–	Indeterminate (IUCN 1990)
1988	–	Insufficiently Known (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known from a single specimen collected from the type locality at Gouna, Northern Cape, South Africa. Several field trips to ground-truth the occurrence of this species have yielded no specimens, or even signs of golden moles, suggesting either an error in recording provenance, or that the original specimen was transported there by anthropogenic means or even perhaps floodwaters of the Renoster River, flowing from the Roggeveld mountains further south.
Countries:	Native: South Africa
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	No signs of this species have been found at the type locality during two independent expeditions in the last 20 years.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	The type locality is situated in Bushmanland Nama-Karoo, with extensive agriculture on the alluvial sand floodplains of the Vis and Renoster rivers. Adjacent natural habitats are gravel plains and small hills, which appear unsuitable habitats for chrysochlorids.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Extensive agriculture has dramatically transformed habitat at the type locality, but impact thereof cannot be assessed given uncertainty about provenance of the type specimen and/or the habitat requirements of the species.

Major Threat(s):

Extensive agriculture has dramatically transformed habitat at the type locality, but impact thereof cannot be assessed given uncertainty about provenance of the type specimen and/or the habitat requirements of the species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Research is needed to ground-truth the existence of this species in the Gouna area, and/or to trace the locality from which the type specimen was collected. Study of more specimens required to clarify systematics status.

Conservation Actions:

Research is needed to ground-truth the existence of this species in the Gouna area, and/or to trace the locality from which the type specimen was collected. Study of more specimens required to clarify systematics status.

Citation:	Bronner, G. 2008. Chrysochloris visagiei. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 February 2012.
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