Talpidae G. Fischer, 1814

Abramov, Alexei V., 2021, An annotated checklist of the insectivores (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla) of Laos, Zootaxa 5006 (1), pp. 13-25 : 16-17

Family Talpidae G. Fischer, 1814

Euroscaptor klossi ( Thomas, 1929) – Kloss’s mole

Conservation Significance: Least Concern ( Cassola 2016).

Distribution: Northern and central Laos ( Cassola, 2016). There are specimens from Xieng Khouang (BMNH 26.10.4.43 and MCZ 38251). During surveys of the wildlife trade in Lao PDR carried out in 2011 ( Shepherd & Nijman 2012), many moles of presumably this species were seen on sale on a Vientiane market.

Natural history: Found in hilly and mountainous areas. As most of the Indochinese Euroscaptor species , it occurs at the altitudes of 900–1500 m.

Taxonomic notes: Osgood (1932) and Delacour (1940) reported on a specimen BMNH 26.10.4.43 from Xieng Khouang as Parascaptor leucura ; this species was also recorded from northern Laos by Corbet & Hill (1992), presumably on the basis of Osgood’s record. Deuve & Deuve (1963) stated that the species was common in all Lao provinces. Molur (2016e) mapped the range of P. leucura for the extreme north of Laos. However, this species seems to be distributed in the eastern Himalayas only (see Hutterer 2005) and does not occur in Laos.

Comments: In Laos, dried moles are sold out for food and used in the traditional medicine. Moles are not protected in Laos, and as such, their hunting and trade is unregulated. What impact this hunting and trade could have on moles in Lao PDR remains unknown ( Shepherd & Nijman 2012).

[ Euroscaptor parvidens ( Miller, 1940) – Small-toothed mole]

Conservation Significance: Data Deficient ( Chiozza 2016c).

Distribution: Not recorded from Laos, known from the adjacent regions of Kon Tum Plateau in central Vietnam ( Abramov et al. 2013a). It seems that the species does occur in Boloven Plateau of southern Laos. Three mole specimens from AMNH and FMNH which were collected from the Boloven Plateau (Ban Thateng in Sekong Province) in 1931–1932 seem to belong to this species.

Natural history: In central and southern Vietnam, it occurs in different forest types at the elevations of 1000– 2200 m ( Abramov et al. 2007a; Rozhnov & Abramov 2009).

Taxonomic notes: Osgood (1932) listed a specimen from Ban Thateng as “ Talpa micrura Hodgson, 1841 ”. Euroscaptor micrura was recorded by Corbet & Hill (1992) and Deuve (1972) throughout Laos, but no specimens was mentioned and no specific localities or habitat information was given. E. micrura was described from Nepal, so that its range is isolated from other Southeast Asian moles by Brahmaputra and Irrawaddy rivers. Therefore, this species is likely to represent a very different genetic lineage.

[ Euroscaptor orlovi Zemlemerova, Bannikova, Lebedev, Rozhnov, Abramov, 2016 – Orlov’s mole]

Conservation Significance: Not assigned.

Distribution: Not recorded from Laos, but found in north-western Vietnam and southern China ( Zemlemerova et al. 2016), and hence may occur in the adjacent regions of northern Laos.

Natural history: In north-western Vietnam (Lao Cai Province), it was found in open and forested habitats at the altitudes of 1900–2200 m ( Abramov et al. 2008) .

Taxonomic notes: Moles from southern China and northern Vietnam were previously assigned to E. longirostris . According to recent data ( Zemlemerova et al. 2016), the real distribution of E. longirostris is restricted to Sichuan, China, northward of Yangtze River, whereas the populations occurring southward of this isolation barrier evidently represent a distinct species E. orlovi (north-western Vietnam and Yunnan, southern China).

[ Euroscaptor subanura Kawada, Nguyen Truong Son, Dang Ngoc Can, 2012 – Short-tailed mole]

Conservation Significance: Not assigned.

Distribution: Not recorded from Laos. The species occurs in the neighbouring areas of north-central Vietnam (Nghe An Province) ( Kawada et al. 2012; Abramov et al. 2013a), and thus may occur in the adjacent regions of Laos.

Natural history: In Vietnam, it occurs at low altitudes: 300–600 m, rarely – up to 1000 m ( Kawada et al. 2012; Abramov et al. 2013b).

[ Mogera latouchei Thomas, 1907 – Latouche’s mole]

Conservation Significance: Not assigned.

Distribution: Not recorded from Laos. The species occurs in the neighbouring areas of north-western Vietnam (Lai Chau and Son La provinces) ( Abramov et al. 2013a), and thus may occur in the adjacent regions of Laos.