NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Marley's Golden Mole
Amblysomus marleyi Roberts, 1931
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
Marley's golden mole (Amblysomus marleyi) is a species of burrowing mammal in the golden mole family, Chrysochloridae. It is found in South Africa and possibly Eswatini. It has been separated from Amblysomus hottentotus by Bronner (1995b, 1996, 2000). Its natural habitat is indigenous forests and moist grassland, and also gardens. It is classified as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The main threats it faces are habitat degradation, either through overgrazing by cattle or the removal of vegetation for firewood, and urbanization.
Wikipedia contributors, Marley's golden mole; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:41:03.044743+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Amblysomus marleyi Roberts, 1931
- Name authority
- Roberts, 1931
- Common name
- Marley's Golden Mole
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Afrosoricida
- Family
- Chrysochloridae
- Genus
- Amblysomus
- 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
- orderAfrosoricida Stanhope, 1998
- suborderChrysochloridea Broom, 1915
- familyChrysochloridae Gray, 1825
- subfamilyAmblysominae Simonetta, 1957
- genusAmblysomus Pomel, 1848
- speciesAmblysomus marleyi Roberts, 1931
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Amblysomus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Zulu Golden MoleAmblysomus hottentotus (A. Smith, 1829) | ChrysochloridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Robust Golden MoleAmblysomus robustus Bronner, 2000 | ChrysochloridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Highveld Golden MoleAmblysomus septentrionalis Roberts, 1913 | ChrysochloridaeChordata | 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=709716 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:CNZV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.