Fukomys vandewoestijneae

Fukomys vandewoestijneae or Caroline's mole rat was first noticed in 2002 by a research team from the University of Ghent. This new species, distinguished by a distinctive skull shape, was recently described by Paul Van Daele and his team in Zootaxa while DNA and chromosome tests confirmed its novelty. The new species was named after Van Daele's late wife, Caroline Van De Woestijne, who was a member of the research team and died of malaria while in Africa.

Caroline’s mole rat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Bathyergidae
Genus: Fukomys
Species:
F. vandewoestijneae
Binomial name
Fukomys vandewoestijneae
Van Daele, Blondé, Stjernstedt, Adriaens, 2013

The species was found in the Ikelenge Pedicle between the Sakeji and Zambezi rivers, a region shared by Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola. Although the area has not been well-researched it is considered to harbour a great number of endemic species. To date 28 endemic species have come to light: one amphibian, five mammals, three butterflies, and 19 dragonflies. The region comprises gallery forests adjacent to rivers and wetlands, and woodlands where miombo trees are dominant, the habitat of the new mole rat. These forests, as with others all over the world, are under threat.[1]

References
  1. A new species of African Mole-rat (Fukomys, Bathyergidae, Rodentia) from the Zaire-Zambezi Watershed - Zootaxa
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