Levant mole

Levant mole
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Eulipotyphla
Family: Talpidae
Genus: Talpa
Species:
T. levantis
Binomial name
Talpa levantis
Thomas, 1906
Subspecies

T. l. transcaucasica Dahl, 1944
T. l. dogramacii Kefelioğlu, 2020

Range of T. l. levantis
Range of T. l. transcaucasica

The Levant mole (Talpa levantis) is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae.[2]

Taxonomy and evolution

The Levant mole was first described as a subspecies of Talpa caeca by Oldfield Thomas in 1906,[3] and recognized as a full species in 1973 by Spitzenberg.[2]

Moles in the genus Talpa are morphologically very similar to each other, which has made separating the species difficult before the wide availability of genetic analysis.[2] The Talysch mole (T. talyschensis) was formerly considered a synonym of T. levantis, but more recent studies have found it to be distinct.[4] A 2020 taxonomic analysis found three distinct genetic populations in the western, central, and eastern ends of its range, and separated them into three subspecies: Talpa levantis dogramacii (newly named in this study, after Salih Doğramacı), T. l. levantis, and T. l. transcaucasica.[5] Based on genetic data, recent studies, including Demırtaş et al (2020) and Gündüz et al. (2023) have separated the eastern subspecies of T. levantis as its own species, T. transcaucasica, the Transcaucasian mole.[6][2]

A fossil example of T. levantis is known from Yarimburgaz Cave in Turkey, dated to the Middle Pleistocene.[3]

Description

The Levant mole is a small mole, 103 millimetres (4.1 in) to 149 millimetres (5.9 in) long. The eyes are covered with a layer of transparent skin, and the eyelids are permanently closed.[5]

Unlike other species in the genus, it has 38 pairs of chromosomes.[2]

Distribution and habitat

The Levant mole lives in wet or damp soil, and can be found in both fields and forests.[3] Including T. transcaucasica, it is found in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Turkey.[7] If T. transcaucasica's separation is taken into account, then T. levantis is endemic to Turkey.[6][2]

References

  1. ^ Yigit, N.; Kryštufek, B. (2016). "Talpa levantis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T41482A22321127. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T41482A22321127.en. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Demırtaş, Sadık; Silsüpür, Metin; Searle, Jeremy B.; Bilton, David; Gündüz, İslam (2020-02-01). "What should we call the Levant mole? Unravelling the systematics and demography of Talpa levantis Thomas, 1906 sensu lato (Mammalia: Talpidae)". Mammalian Biology. 100 (1): 1–18. doi:10.1007/s42991-020-00010-4. ISSN 1618-1476.
  3. ^ a b c Kryštufek, Boris (28 Feb 2013). "The distribution of the Levant Mole, Talpa levantis". Zoology in the Middle East. 23 (1): 17–21. doi:10.1080/09397140.2001.10637863. ISSN 0939-7140.
  4. ^ "Explore the Database". www.mammaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  5. ^ a b Kefelioglu, Haluk; Kefelioglu, Haluk; Kryštufek, Boris; Selcuk, Ahmet Yesari; Hutterer, Rainer; Astrin, Jonas J. (2020). "Taxonomic revision of the Levant moles of Turkey (Mammalia: Talpidae)". Bonn Zoological Bulletin. 69 (2): 275––291.
  6. ^ a b SELÇUK, AHMET; KAYA, ALAETTİN; KEFELİOĞLU, HALUK (2025-03-18). "Morphological, linear, and geometric morphometric differences (skull, mandible, and pelvis) among subspecies of Talpa levantis (Eulipotyphla: Talpidae) with molecular divergence (mtDNA and nuclear DNA)". Turkish Journal of Zoology. 49 (2): 103–119. doi:10.55730/1300-0179.3216. ISSN 1300-0179.
  7. ^ "Explore the Database". www.mammaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
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