NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
King African Mole Rat
Tachyoryctes rex Heller, 1910
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The King African mole-rat, King mole-rat, or Alpine mole-rat, (Tachyoryctes rex) is a burrowing rodent in the genus Tachyoryctes of family Spalacidae. It only occurs high on Mount Kenya, where it is common. Originally described as a separate species related to Aberdare Mountains African mole-rat, (T. audax) in 1910, some classify it as the same species as the East African mole-rat, (T. splendens).
It is a very large, brownish species, with head and body length ranging from 222 to 268 mm (8.7 to 10.6 in). The young are dark with irregular white patches on their underparts. The animal builds large burrows and perhaps associated mounds and eats plant roots.
Wikipedia contributors, King African mole-rat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:29:52.985364+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Tachyoryctes rex Heller, 1910
- Name authority
- Heller, 1910
- Common name
- King African Mole Rat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Spalacidae
- Genus
- Tachyoryctes
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
- superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
- familySpalacidae Gray, 1821
- subfamilyTachyoryctinae Miller & Gidley, 1918
- genusTachyoryctes Rüppell, 1835
- speciesTachyoryctes rex Heller, 1910
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Tachyoryctes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Rudd's African Mole RatTachyoryctes ruddi Thomas, 1909 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Embi African Mole RatTachyoryctes spalacinus Thomas, 1909 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Storey's African Mole RatTachyoryctes storeyi Thomas, 1909 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ruanda Mole RatTachyoryctes ruandae Lönnberg & Gyldenstolpe, 1925 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ankole African Mole RatTachyoryctes ankoliae Thomas, 1909 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Big-headed Mole RatTachyoryctes macrocephalus (Rüppell, 1842) | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mianzini African Mole RatTachyoryctes annectens (Thomas, 1891) | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Naivasha Mole RatTachyoryctes naivashae Thomas, 1909 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Demon African Mole RatTachyoryctes daemon Thomas, 1909 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| East African Mole RatTachyoryctes splendens (Rüppell, 1835) | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=632767 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:7BG44. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.