Talpa romana, Thomas, 1902

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 : 612

30.

Roman Mole

Talpa romana

French: Taupe romaine / German: Romischer Maulwurf / Spanish: Topo romano

Taxonomy. Talpa romana Thomas, 1902 ,

“Ostia,”

near Rome, Italy.

Talpa romana is in subgenus Talpa and europaea species group. In the past, 1. ro- mana also included 71. stankovici and T. og- nevi, although these three species are not closely related. Talpa romana is sister to 1. caeca , with which it is widely sympatric. Past introgression between 71. romana and 1. europaea was documented in a narrow contact zone in Central Italy where they are parapatric. Co-occurring populations diverge morphologically due to character displacement. Up to seven subspecies have been recognized, but such a taxonomic split is probably excessive. Genetic distances among putative subspecies are low. Size, which was frequently used to diagnose subspecies, shows clinal variation with smallest individuals confined to peripheral populations. Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to C & S Italy, as far N as Umbria. Presumably extinct in Sicily where it was recorded for the last time in 1885.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 120-160 mm (males) and 95-155 mm (females), tail 24-37 mm (males) and 22-35 mm (females), hindfoot 170 mm; weight 73-134 g (males) and 61-112 mm (females). Males average 18% heavier than females. The Roman Mole is externally similar to the European Mole (7. europaea ), except for being

slightly larger, with more cylindrical tail and sealed eyelids. Females have four pairs of nipples. Pelvis is cecoidal. Skull is large and robust, with massive rostrum. Upper molars are heavy, and mesosytle is bifurcated. Length of upper molar row relative to skull length is longer than that of the European Mole. Dental formulais 13/3, C 1/1, P4/4,M 3/3 (x2) = 44. Oligodonties are frequent, and 36% of Roman Moles lack 1-4 upper premolars. Incidences with supernumerary teeth and missing lower molars are rare. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 34 and FNa = 64.

Habitat. Wide variety of habitats such as sandy dunes, cultivated land, olive groves, meadows, deciduous forests, and mountain pastures from sea level up to elevations of 1500 m (exceptionally 2000 m). Habitat suitability modeling showed that the Roman Mole is restricted to a limited part of its potential distribution.

Food and Feeding. The Roman Mole does not show clear dietary preferences but preys on the most abundant large invertebrates available. Earthworms, insect larvae, and mollusks constitute the bulk in a diet. Food items can vary seasonally and between regions. Roman Moles eat earthworms most of the time but eat insect larvae during dry months when earthworms became scarce. Captive moles were maintained on a diet of 35 g of fresh liver and heart and 10 g of earthworms ( Eisenia foetida) per day.

Breeding. Unlike in the European Mole, male Roman Moles do not movefar in search of females. Pregnant females with 2-3 embryos were captured in April.

Activity patterns. The Roman Mole is strictly fossorial, digging underground galleries and depositing excavated soil aboveground as molehills. Diurnal activity shows a regular alternation between resting and active periods, each lasting 3-4 hours. Females are most active in morning (06:00-12:00 h) and afternoon (15:00-21:00 h), and they rest before sunrise (03:00-06:00 h) and around noon (12:00-15:00 h). Periods of activity (131 minutes on average) and rest (155 minutes) of a captive female did not differ significantly in length. Active bouts were shorter in two captive males (13-19 minutes), and resting periods were longer. During reproductive period, females synchronize timing of rest periods, but activity patterns of males become less regular. Summer droughts suppress activity.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Roman Moles are solitary and territorial. Home ranges are well defined. They overlap between females and between individuals of the opposite sex. Degree of spatial overlap between home ranges is reportedly higher in habitats with more food resources. Under no circumstances, however, do two moles with overlapping ranges occupy the same area at the same time. Core area 1s in exclusive possession of the territorial individual. Home ranges are larger for males (averages in two studies were 3116 m* and 4300 m?) than females (2804 m? and 1658 m?), and differences possibly reflected food availability. Size and location of home ranges are not constant across seasons. Male home ranges were 2304-5117 m* (mean 3710 m?) in October and 412-4160 m? (mean 2819 m?) in January. Densities of Roman Moles in CentralItaly are 2-2-3 ind/ha.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Amori, Contoli & Nappi (2008), Bannikova, Zemlemerova, Colangelo et al. (2015), Beolchini & Loy (2004), Borroni, Loy & Bertolucci (1999), Capolongo & Panasci (1978), Colangelo et al. (2010), Filippucci et al. (1987), Gornung et al. (2008), Loy (1999b), Loy & Capanna (1998), Loy, Beolchini et al. (1994), Loy, Cassini et al. (2017), Loy, Di Martino & Capolongo (1996), Loy, Dupré & Stone (1992), Niethammer (1990b).

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. Endemic to C & S Italy, as far N as Umbria. Presumably extinct in Sicily where it was recorded for the last time in 1885.