The biology of an isolated Mashona mole-rat population from southern Malawi, with implications for the diversity and biogeography of the genus Fukomys

AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND MATERIALS : GPS of localities, museum voucher numbers, GenBank Accession numbers, and other details about specimens included in analyses are provided in Supplementary Information 2. New DNA sequences were uploaded to GenBank and their accession numbers (OQ559424-OQ559475, OQ442881–OQ442896, OQ442843–OQ442861, OQ559483–OQ559501, OQ559505–OQ559523, OQ442862–OQ442880) are in Supplementary Information 2.The Mashona mole-rat, Fukomys darlingi (Thomas, 1895), is a little studied social African mole-rat (Bathyergidae) from south-astern Africa. Here, we present an integrative study characterizing the genetic diversity of populations assigned to F. darlingi with special focus on animals from Nsanje, southern Malawi. These mole-rats show pronounced differences in body mass and general appearance compared to nominate F. darlingi from Zimbabwe and Mozambique, but their taxonomic status has so far remained unclear. A genetic analysis encompassing all major lineages of the genus Fukomys suggests that this population indeed represents a deeply nested lineage within the F. darlingi clade. The karyotype of the Nsanje mole-rats also corresponds to that of the nominate form, being 2n = 54. While both nuclear and mitochondrial data agree about the assignment of the Nsanje mole-rats to F. darlingi, our analyses revealed substantial mitonuclear discordance for other branches within the Fukomys phylogenetic tree. Nsanje mole-rats are significantly larger than nominate F. darlingi and their ontogeny and reproduction closely resemble similar-sized congeneric species rather than the nominate population. The somatic growth of the Nsanje form is the slowest of all African mole-rats. The maximum life span of F. darlingi is at least 19 years. The observed differences between nominate F. darlingi and mole-rats from Nsanje may be attributed mainly to their different body mass. Our study highlights the advantages of an integrative approach for understanding the diversity of African mole-rats and emphasizes the great intraspecific variability that may be encountered in these underground-dwelling rodents.Open access publishing supported by the National Technical Library in Prague. The grant of the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR) and Grant Agency of University of South Bohemia.https://link.springer.com/journal/13127hj2024Mammal Research InstituteZoology and EntomologyNon