Open AccessMolerats (Bathyergidae, Rodentia) in South African National Parks: notes on the Taxonomic "isolation" and Hystricomorph Affinities of the family
Author(s) -
Guido de Graaff
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
koedoe
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.419
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 2071-0771
pISSN - 0075-6458
DOI - 10.4102/koedoe.v22i1.653
Subject(s) - affinities , biology , zoology , skull , evolutionary biology , ecology , anatomy , biochemistry
The history of classification ofAfrotropical molerats is reviewed and an assessment is made of the supposed taxonomic "isolation" of the molerats (bathyergids) by considering morphological features in the skull, post-cranial skeleton, reproductive organs and myology which collectively point to hystricomorph affinities in contrast to a myomorph relationship which is often postulated