Scapanus latimanus (Bachman, 1842)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6678191 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6671940 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0380B547-B65A-FF8A-9A95-F417F7A9C946 |
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treatment provided by |
Valdenar |
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scientific name |
Scapanus latimanus |
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Broad-footed Mole
Scapanus latimanus View in CoL
French: Taupe de Californie / German: Kalifornien-Maulwurf / Spanish: Topo de pies anchos
Other common names: Broad-handed Mole
Taxonomy. Scalops latimanus Bachman, 1842 ,
“some part of Mexico.” Corrected by W. H. Osgood in 1907 to “Santa Clara,” Santa Clara County, California, USA.
Number of recognized subspecies of S. latimanus varies depending on the authority. Five subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution. S.l.latimanusBachman,1842—N&WCCaliforniaandadjacentSOregonandNWNevada(USA). S.l.insularisPalmer,1937—AngelI,SanFranciscoBay,California(USA). S.l.minusculusBangs,1899—ECCaliforniaandadjacentCWNevada(USA). S.l.occultusGrinnell&Swarth,1912—SC&SWCalifornia(USA)andadjacentNWBajaCalifornia(Mexico). S. l. parvus Palmer, 1937 — Alamena Coun- ty, CW California (USA). View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body c.132-152 mm (males) and c¢.131-153 mm (females), tail 32-38 mm (males) and 23-39 mm (females), hindfoot 16-25 mm; weight 55:6-73-9 g (males) and 66-7-73-9 g (females). Males are slightly larger than females, and dimorphism is most obvious in populations of small-sized individuals. Broad-footed Moles are larger in humid areas and smaller in arid areas. Body is cylindrical, and head is pointed, depressed, and hairy until snout. Tail is relatively short and densely covered with silver hairs. Front feet are robust and permanently turned outward, with five fingers equipped with long and powerful claws. Hindfoot is smaller and more elongated. Eyes are minute. Pelage is dark brown to silvery gray, often with coopery wash. Winter pelage tends to be darker, and individuals from arid habitats are usually lighter. Anomalous color is rare. Some individuals have cream, whitish, or orange spots on chin and face or are either light cinnamon-yellow or pale yelloworange throughout. Females have two pairs of pectoral and one pair of abdominal and inguinal nipples (eight nipples total). Skull is of similar proportions to other fossorial moles. Cranium gradually tapers from squamosal bones, whereit is the widest, toward tip. Mandible shows no peculiarities. Dental formulais 13/3, C1/1,P4/4,M 3/3 (x2) = 44. I' is large and followed by unevenly spaced unicuspid teeth; last premolars and two anterior molars are large. Karyotype is 2n = 34.
Habitat. Moist and rich soils with scant vegetation, recently cultivated ground, and pine woodland, avoiding sandy and other loose substrate, heavy clay, gravelly, and stony soils from sea level (tidal zones) to elevations of ¢.3000 m. The Broad-footed Mole, particularly in its southern distribution, selects humid habitats and occurs under boulders in arid chaparrals of Mexico.
Food and Feeding. Diet of the Broad-footed Mole in the wild is mostly unknown, but earthworm, mollusks, and beetles seem to be the most important prey. Average daily ration consumed by a captive mole equaled 70-2-84-9% of its weight, depending on food quality. Captive Broad-footed Moles cleaned earthworms with front feet before consumption. They ate earthworms from one end to the other, and back again, thus squeezing soil from intestines. Food particles were pushed into the mouth with the flexible snout. Captive individuals required free water.
Breeding. The Broad-footed Mole has one litter per year, with 2-5 young (usually 4). Nest is lined with leaves, grasses, and roots. Ten-day-old young are 72-75 mm long; they were weaned at 30-35 days old. Young-of-the-year were trapped in May-June.
Activity patterns. The Broad-footed Mole is fossorial and constructs surface and deep tunnels. Excavated earth is pushed onto the ground’s surface in characteristic molehills. Deep tunnels mainly descend 25-45 cm underground. Nests are 30-45 cm deep and usually sheltered by roots or shrubs. Surface tunnels are visible as ridges in the soil, with many sideways cracks, and individuals move thought them at irregular intervals. Activity aboveground is exceptional. On a concrete surface, a Broad-footed Mole can run at 0-6 m/s. Broad-footed Moles were observed swimming in rivers, and a captive individual swam for six minutes without tiring. Pelage got soaked in less than a minute of swimming, after which the individual could no longer maintain its body in a horizontal position. A Broad-footed Mole swims by alternating strokes of front and hindfeet on opposite sides ofits body.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. A Broad-footed Mole occupies its own burrow system. A vacant burrow system can be reoccupied in 1-2 days after removal of the resident.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Subspecies occultus is regarded as threatened under the Mexican Official Regulation.
Bibliography. Castro-Arellano & Ceballos (2014e), Grim (1958), McCully (1967), Osgood (1907), Palmer (1937), Verts & Carraway (1988, 2001), Yates & Salazar-Bravo (2005).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
