Talpa talyschensis, Linnaeus, 1758

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Talpidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 52-619 : 609-610

24.

Talysch Mole

Talpa talyschensis

French: Taupe des Talysh / German: Talysch-Maulwurf / Spanish: Topo de Talysch

Taxonomy. Talpa orientalis talyschensis Vereschchagin, 1945 ,

Talysch Mountains, Azerbaijan.

Talpa talyschensis is in subgenus Talpa and dauvidiana species group. It is sister to 7. da- vidiana. Until recently, 1. talyschensis was included in 7. levantis . These two species are similar in size and skull proportions, share identical karyotype (2n = 34), but differ in dental morphology and molecular sequences. Their most recent common ancestor lived 2-5 million years ago. Monotypic.

Distribution. SW Caspian coast between Lenkoran (Azerbaijan) and Chalus in W Mazandaran Province (Iran).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 104-114 mm (males) and 104-111 mm (females), tail 20-25 mm (males) and 21-22 mm (females), hindfoot 15-16 mm; weight 31-47 g (males) and 33-49 g (females). The Talysch Mole closely resembles the Levant Mole (1. levantis ) and until recently was reported under that name. Mesostyle on M' is distinctly bifurcate in the Talysch Mole. Dental formulais13/3,C1/1,P 4/4, M 3/3 (x2) = 44. Karyotype is 2n = 34.

Habitat. Humid subtropical forests and thickets of boxwood ( Buxus sempervirens , Buxaceae ) with abundant mosses from sea level to elevations up to 300 m, perhaps higher. Molehills of the Talysch Mole were reported in dry rice fields, tea plantations, and scrub along roads.

Food and Feeding. There is no specific information for this species, but the Talysch Mole is probably similar to the Levant Mole.

Breeding. There is no specific information for this species, but the Talysch Mole is probably similar to the Levant Mole.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information for this species, but the Talysch Mole is probably similar to the Levant Mole.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no specific information for this species, but the Talysch Mole is probably similar to the Levant Mole.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The [UCN Red List.

Bibliography. Bannikova, Zemlemerova, Colangelo et al. (2015), Kry$tufek (2001a, 2001b), Lay (1967), Sokolov & Tembotov (1989), Zaitsev (1999), Zaitsev et al. (2014).

Figures

22. Altai Mole (Talpa altaica), 23. Pere David’s Mole (Talpa davidiana), 24. Talysch Mole (Talpa talyschensis), 25. Ognev’s Mole (Talpa ognevi), 26. Caucasian Mole (Talpa caucasica), 27. Levant Mole (Talpa levantis), 28. Balkan Mole (Talpa stankovici), 29. Blind Mole (Talpa caeca), 30. Roman Mole (Talpa romana), 31. Iberian Mole (Talpa occidentalis), 32. European Mole (Talpa europaea), 33. Aquitanian Mole (Talpa aquitania), 34. Japanese Mountain Mole (Oreoscaptor mizura), 35. Ussuri Mole (Mogera robusta), 36. Large Japanese Mole (Mogera wogura), 37. Small Japanese Mole (Mogera imaizumii), 38. Sado Mole (Mogera tokudae), 39. Echigo Mole (Mogera etigo), 40. Senkaku Mole (Mogera uchidai), 41. Insular Mole (Mogera insularis), 42. Kano’s Mole (Mogera kanoana), 43. La Touche’s Mole (Mogera latoucher), 44. Himalayan Mole (Ewroscaptor micrurus), 45. Greater Chinese Mole (Euroscaptor grandis), 46. Long-nosed Mole (Euroscaptor longurostris), 47. Kloss’s Mole (Euroscaptor klosst), 48. Kuznetsov’s Mole (Euroscaptor kuznetsovi), 49. Orlov’s Mole (Euroscaptor orlovi), 50. Vietnamese Mole (Euroscaptor subanura), 51. Small-toothed Mole (Euroscaptor parvidens), 52. Malaysian Mole (Euroscaptor malayanus), 53. White-tailed Mole (Parascaptor lewcurus), 54. Short-faced Mole (Scaptochirus moschatus)

Distribution. SW Caspian coast between Lenkoran (Azerbaijan) and Chalus in W Mazandaran Province (Iran).