Arend’s Golden Mole vs Thyme Plume

Carpitalpa arendsi compared with Merrifieldia leucodactyla

Key Differences

• Arend’s Golden Mole is Vulnerable while Thyme Plume is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Arend’s Golden Mole	Thyme Plume
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Afrosoricida (Afrosoricida)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Chrysochloridae	Pterophoridae
Genus	Carpitalpa	Merrifieldia
Species	Carpitalpa arendsi	Merrifieldia leucodactyla

Evolutionary Relationship

Arend’s Golden Mole and Thyme Plume share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Arend’s Golden Mole

VU — Vulnerable

Thyme Plume

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Arend’s Golden Mole	Thyme Plume
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Arend’s Golden Mole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Thyme Plume

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Algeria, Morocco), Asia (7 countries), and Europe (35 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Arend’s Golden Mole

The Arend’s Golden Mole (Carpitalpa arendsi) is a species in the genus Carpitalpa. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.