NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Ghana Mole Rat
Fukomys zechi (Matschie, 1900)
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 Ghana mole-rat or Togo mole-rat (Fukomys zechi) is a species of rodent in the family Bathyergidae.
It is endemic to Ghana.
Its natural habitats are moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, caves, and arable land. It commonly breeds during rainy months such as March to August. In a colony, reproduction is limited to one male and one female.
An important source of food for the Ghana mole-rats is the succulent roots of most plants. The mole rats eat the roots and taproots of various plants such as Arachis, Vigna, Cucumeropsis and Dioscorea abyssinica, as well as young Anacardium.
Wikipedia contributors, Ghana mole-rat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:05:11.744991+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Fukomys zechi (Matschie, 1900)
- Name authority
- (Matschie, 1900)
- Common name
- Ghana Mole Rat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Bathyergidae
- Genus
- Fukomys
- 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
- suborderHystricomorpha Brandt, 1855
- infraorderHystricognathi Brandt, 1855
- familyBathyergidae Waterhouse, 1841
- genusFukomys Kock, Ingram, Frabotta, Honeycut & Burda, 2006
- speciesFukomys zechi (Matschie, 1900)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Fukomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Zambian Mole-ratFukomys amatus (Wroughton, 1907) | BathyergidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ansell's Mole-ratFukomys anselli (Burda, Zima, Scharff, Macholán & Kawalika, 1999) | BathyergidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Botswanan Mole-ratFukomys damarensis (Ogilby, 1838) | BathyergidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hanang Mole-ratFukomys hanangensis Faulkes, Mgode, Archer & Bennett, 2017 | BathyergidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kafue Mole-ratFukomys kafuensis (Burda, Zima, Scharff, Macholán & Kawalika, 1999) | BathyergidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Angolan Giant Mole-ratFukomys mechowi (Peters, 1881) | BathyergidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caroline's Mole-ratFukomys vandewoestijneae Van Daele et al., 2013 | BathyergidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Georhychus zechi Matschie, 1900 Matschie, 1900 | synonym |
| Cryptomys zechi (Matschie, 1900) (Matschie, 1900) | synonym |
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=1221676 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:C3DVG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.