THERMOREGULATION IN 2 POPULATIONS OF THE MATABELELAND MOLE-RAT (CRYPTOMYS-HOTTENTOTUS-NIMRODI) AND REMARKS ON THE GENERAL THERMOREGULATORY TRENDS WITHIN THE GENUS CRYPTOMYS (RODENTIA, BATHYERGIDAE)
Nc. Bennett et al., THERMOREGULATION IN 2 POPULATIONS OF THE MATABELELAND MOLE-RAT (CRYPTOMYS-HOTTENTOTUS-NIMRODI) AND REMARKS ON THE GENERAL THERMOREGULATORY TRENDS WITHIN THE GENUS CRYPTOMYS (RODENTIA, BATHYERGIDAE), Journal of zoology, 239, 1996, pp. 17-27
The social Matabeleland mole-rat Cryptomys hottentotus nimrodi occurs
in both the high- and lowveld of Zimbabwe. The population in the highv
eld has a mean (+/-S.D.) resting metabolic rate (RMR) when acclimated
for three months in the laboratory of 0.83 +/- 0.04 cm(3) O-2 g(-1)h(-
1) (n = 12) within the thermoneutral zone (TNZ) of 31-32 degrees C. Th
e body temperature (T-b) within the thermoneutral zone is low 34.4 +/-
0.08 (n = 12) and remains stable at ambient temperatures (T(a)s) from
25-32 degrees C. Above 32 degrees C, T-b increases albeit slightly to
36.6 +/- 1.46 degrees C (n = 12). The conductance is high 0.17 +/- 0.
02 cm(3) O-2 g(-1)h(-1) degrees C-1 (n = 24) at the lower limit of the
rmoneutrality. The mean RMR in the TNZ. The population in the lowveld
has a mean (+/-S.D.) resting metabolic rate (RMR) when acclimated for
three months in the laboratory of 0.95 +/- 0.07 cm(3) O-2 g(-1)h(-1) (
n = 12) within the thermoneutral zone (TNZ) of 28-30 degrees C. The bo
dy temperature within the thermoneutral zone is low 34.0 +/- 0.03 (n =
12) and remains stable at T(a)s from 25-30 degrees C. Above 23 degree
s C, T-b increases, albeit slightly, to 37.8 +/- 1.14 degrees C (n = 1
2). The conductance is high 0.04 +/- 0.09 cm(3) O-2 g(-1)h(-1) degrees
C-1 (n = 24) at the lower limit of thermoneutrality. The mean RMR at
18 degrees C (the lowest Ta tested) was 1.96 +/- 0.12 cm(3) O-2 g(-1)h
(-1), which is 2.0 times that of the RMR in the TNZ. These thermoregul
atory parameters are compared with published data on other species of
Cryptomys from Southern and Central Africa.