Arends' golden mole (''Carpitalpa arendsi'') is a species of

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

in the family

Chrysochloridae Golden moles are small insectivorous burrowing mammals endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. They comprise the family Chrysochloridae and as such they are taxonomically distinct from the true moles, family Talpidae, and other mole-like families, all o ...

. It is found in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

and

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry, and moist

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

forests, dry lowland grassland, arable land, pasture, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas. It is the only species in the genus ''Carpitalpa''. It was moved from the genus ''

Chlorotalpa ''Chlorotalpa'' is a genus of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It contains the following species: * Duthie's golden mole (''Chlorotalpa duthieae'') * Sclater's golden mole Sclater's golden mole (''Chlorotalpa sclateri'') is a species of ...

''. It was first described by Lundholm, who named it for Nicolas Arends, taxidermist at the Kaffrarian Museum (now the

Amathole Museum The Amathole Museum, formerly the Kaffrarian Museum is a natural and cultural history museum located in King William's Town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The museum houses the second largest collection of mammals in South Africa ...

, in

King William's Town Qonce, formerly known as King William's Town, is a city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa along the banks of the Buffalo River. The city is about northwest of the Indian Ocean port of East London. Qonce, with a population of around ...

, South Africa) who captured the specimen.

References

Afrosoricida Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Mammals described in 1955 {{afrosoricida-stub