| the ultrastructure of pinealocytes in the golden mole (amblysomus hottentotus) with special reference to the granular vesicles. | the ultrastructure of the pinealocytes of the golden mole (amblysomus hottentotus), a blind subterranean mammal living in complete darkness, was examined and compared with that of pinealocytes of other mammals. on the basis of the presence of granular vesicles and glycogen granules, only one population of pinealocytes was found. large mitochondria, ribosomes, lipid inclusions and scarce lysosomes were observed in the perikaryon. numerous glycogen granules, often forming typical accumulations, we ... | 2004 | 357003 |
| comparative gastrointestinal morphology of three small mammalian insectivores: acomys spinosissimus (rodentia), crocidura cyanea (eulipotyphla), and amblysomus hottentotus (afrosoricida). | the gastrointestinal morphology was investigated in three mammalian insectivorous species, namely acomys spinosissimus, crocidura cyanea, and amblysomus hottentotus. the aim of the study was to provide a comprehensive morphological comparison between the different species and to explore whether anatomical gastrointestinal adaptations are associated with the insectivorous diet of these species. the shape, proportional length, and proportional surface areas of the different gastrointestinal region ... | 2013 | 23404626 |
| a comparative histochemical study of the distribution of mucins in the gastrointestinal tracts of three insectivorous mammals. | the distribution of mucous secreting goblet cells was examined in the gastrointestinal tracts of three insectivores namely: acomys spinosissimus (southern african spiny mouse), crocidura cyanea (reddish gray musk shrew) and amblysomus hottentotus (hottentot golden mole) in order to improve our understanding of the quality and composition of the protective intestinal biofilm. intestinal tracts were fixed and processed to wax for histology. serial transverse sections were stained using alcian blue ... | 2013 | 23313440 |
| nuclear organisation of some immunohistochemically identifiable neural systems in three afrotherian species--potomogale velox, amblysomus hottentotus and petrodromus tetradactylus. | the present study describes the organisation of the cholinergic, catecholaminergic, and serotonergic neurons in the brains of the giant otter shrew, the hottentot golden mole and the four-toed sengi, and the orexinergic (hypocretinergic) system in the giant otter shrew and four-toed sengi. the aim of the present study was to investigate the possible differences in the nuclear complement of these neural systems in comparison to previous studies on other afrotherian species and mammalian species i ... | 2013 | 23517750 |
| the middle and inner ears of the palaeogene golden mole namachloris: a comparison with extant species. | many living species of golden moles (chrysochloridae) have greatly enlarged middle ear ossicles, believed to be used in the detection of ground vibrations through inertial bone conduction. other unusual features of chrysochlorids include internally coupled middle ear cavities and the loss of the tensor tympani muscle. our understanding of the evolutionary history of these characteristics has been limited by the paucity of fossil evidence. in this article, we describe for the first time the exqui ... | 2018 | 29205455 |
| the distribution of doublecortin-immunopositive cells in the brains of four afrotherian mammals: the hottentot golden mole (amblysomus hottentotus), the rock hyrax (procavia capensis), the eastern rock sengi (elephantulus myurus) and the four-toed sengi (petrodromus tetradactylus). | adult neurogenesis in the mammalian brain is now a widely accepted phenomenon, typically occurring in two forebrain structures: the subgranular zone (sgz) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus and the subventricular zone (svz). until recently, the majority of studies have focused on laboratory rodents, and it is under debate whether the process of adult neurogenesis occurs outside of the sgz and the svz in other mammalian species. in the present study, we investigated potential adult neurogenetic sit ... | 2014 | 25377859 |
| a phylogenetic estimate for golden moles (mammalia, afrotheria, chrysochloridae). | golden moles (chrysochloridae) are small, subterranean, afrotherian mammals from south africa and neighboring regions. of the 21 species now recognized, some (e.g., chrysochloris asiatica, amblysomus hottentotus) are relatively common, whereas others (e.g., species of chrysospalax, cryptochloris, neamblysomus) are rare and endangered. here, we use a combined analysis of partial sequences of the nuclear ghr gene and morphological characters to derive a phylogeny of species in the family chrysochl ... | 2010 | 20214773 |
| placentation in the hottentot golden mole, amblysomus hottentotus (afrosoricida: chrysochloridae). | the placentation of the hottentot golden mole (amblysomus hottentotus) has been examined using light and electron microscopy and lectin histochemistry of nine specimens at both mid and late gestation. the placentae were lobulated towards the allantoic surface and the lobules contained roughly parallel arrays of labyrinthine structures converging on a central spongy zone. at mid gestation, the arrays were composed of an inner cellular and outer syncytial trophoblast layer, the inner layer enclosi ... | 2009 | 19501397 |
| hibernation and non-shivering thermogenesis in the hottentot golden mole (amblysomus hottentottus longiceps). | although heterothermy (hibernation and torpor) is a common feature among mammals, there is debate over whether it is a derived or ancestral trait relative to endothermic homeothermy. determination of the physiological characteristics of primitive mammals is central to understanding the evolution of endothermy. moreover, evaluation of physiological mechanisms responsible for endothermic heat production [e.g. non-shivering thermogenesis (nst)] is key to understanding how early mammals responded to ... | 2008 | 18523787 |
| chromosome painting and molecular dating indicate a low rate of chromosomal evolution in golden moles (mammalia, chrysochloridae). | golden moles (chrysochloridae) are poorly known subterranean mammals endemic to southern africa that are part of the superordinal clade afrotheria. using g-banding and chromosome painting we provide a comprehensive comparison of the karyotypes of five species representing five of the nine recognized genera: amblysomus hottentotus, chrysochloris asiatica, chrysospalax trevelyani, cryptochloris zyli and eremitalpa granti. the species are karyotypically highly conserved. in total, only four changes ... | 2006 | 17180635 |
| seasonal energetics of the hottentot golden mole at 1500 m altitude. | winter is an energetically stressful period for small mammals as increasing demands for thermoregulation are often coupled with shortages of food supply. in sub-tropical savannah, hottentot golden moles (ambysomus hottentottus longiceps) forage throughout the year and for long periods of each day. this may enable them to acquire sufficient resources from an insectivorous prey base that is both widely dispersed and energetically costly to obtain. however, they also inhabit much cooler regions; ho ... | 2005 | 15885250 |
| the hypercholinergic brain of the cape golden mole (chrysochloris asiatica). | studies detailing the anatomy of the brain of the golden moles are few. a recent study indicated that in the hottentot golden mole (a member of the amblysominae clade), there was a broad, atypical, distribution of cholinergic interneurons in the olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, hippocampus and amygdala. to determine whether this broad distribution of cholinergic neurons is shared by other species of golden mole, we here examine the brain of the cape golden mole (a member of the chrysochlorinae c ... | 2020 | 32937165 |
| new insights from radseq data on differentiation in the hottentot golden mole species complex from south africa. | golden moles (family chrysochloridae) are small subterranean mammals, endemic to sub-saharan africa, and many of the 21 species are listed as threatened on the iucn red list. most species have highly restricted ranges; however two species, the hottentot golden mole (amblysomus hottentotus) and the cape golden mole (chrysochloris asiatica) have relatively wide ranges. we recently uncovered cryptic diversity within a. hottentotus, through a phylogeographic analysis of this taxon using two mitochon ... | 2020 | 31676418 |