Euroscaptor subanura, Miller, 1940

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 : 618

50.

Vietnamese Mole

Euroscaptor subanura

French: Taupe anoure / German: Vietnam-Maulwurf / Spanish: Topo de Vietnam

Taxonomy. Furoscaptor subanura Kawada, Nguyen Truong Son & Dang Ngoc Can, 2012 ,

“northwestern slope of Tam Dao Mountain (global positioning system: N21°37'52.9"

, E105°27'24-0°, 250 m above sea level), near Vuoc Ly Village, Hiep Hoa Commune, Son Duong District, Tuyen Quang Province, Vietnam.”

Molecular data suggest low genetic heterogeneity in E. subanura. Monotypic.

Distribution. N Vietnam.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 113-1315 mm, tail 2-5-5 mm, hindfoot 13-14-5 mm; weight 32-8-49-9 g. Tail is 2-4-2% of head-body length. The Vietnamese Mole is small, with very long and slender body. Overall shape is similar to that of the Small-toothed Mole ( E. parvidens ). Tail of the Vietnamese Mole is quite short, barely visible beyond fur (when hip hairs are pushed aside, rounded tip of tail can be seen), and covered with a few scattered 3—4mm hairs. Lateral part of nostrils contains many protuberances. Nose is slender, and naked portion behind rhinarium is trapezoidal in shape. There are 7 cervical, 13 thoracic, 6 lumbar, 6 sacral, and 9 caudal vertebrae. Pelvis is short. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 38 and FNa = 56.

Habitat. Semideciduous forests in low-elevation limestone mountains at elevations of 200-300 m. Unlike other talpine moles, the Viethamese Mole is not found in farms or grasslands around the forest.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. Breeding season of the Vietnamese Mole is not well-known, butit probably starts after January. Specimens collected in November—December did not show developed testes or uteri, but males had swollen testes and penises in January.

Activity patterns. The Vietnamese Mole is fossorial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. The Vietnamese Mole was recently described, and its distribution and status are poorly known.

Bibliography. Abramovet al. (2013), Kawada (2016), Kawada et al. (2012), Shinohara et al. (2015), Zemlemerova et al. (2016).

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. N Vietnam.