Japanese mountain mole | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Eulipotyphla |
Family: | Talpidae |
Tribe: | Talpini |
Genus: | Oreoscaptor Kawada, 2016 |
Species: | O. mizura |
Binomial name | |
Oreoscaptor mizura (Günther, 1880) | |
Japanese Mountain Mole range | |
Synonyms | |
Euroscaptor mizura |
The Japanese mountain mole (Oreoscaptor mizura) is a species of Old World mole in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Japan. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Oreoscaptor. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and temperate grassland.
Although the Japanese mountain mole was formerly classified in the genus Euroscaptor , a study published by the American Society of Mammalogists found that they did not truly belong to the genus because of earlier evolutionary divergence from other Euroscaptor species. [2] In 2016, the species was reclassified into the new genus Oreoscaptor. [3] [4]
The taxonomic position of the species was reassessed in 2016 based on its external and skeletal morphologies. It was found that the muzzle of this species showed a unique groove on the ventral side, separating it from the rest of the moles in the family. [2] [3]
The family Talpidae includes the moles who are small insectivorous mammals of the order Eulipotyphla. Talpids are all digging animals to various degrees: moles are completely subterranean animals; shrew moles and shrew-like moles somewhat less so; and desmans, while basically aquatic, excavate dry sleeping chambers; whilst the quite unique star-nosed mole is equally adept in the water and underground. Talpids are found across the Northern Hemisphere of Eurasia and North America, and range as far south as the montane regions of tropical Southeast Asia.
The subfamily Talpinae, sometimes called "Old World moles" or "Old World moles and relatives", is one of three subfamilies of the mole family Talpidae, the others being the Scalopinae, or New World moles, and the Uropsilinae, or shrew-like moles.
Kano's mole is a species of mole endemic to Taiwan. The specific name kanoana is derived from Tadao Kano, a Japanese naturalist who made the first record of these animals in 1940s.
The greater Chinese mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in China and potentially Myanmar.
Euroscaptor is a genus of mammal in the family Talpidae. Members are found in China and South & Southeast Asia. It contains the following species as of October 2021:
Kloss's mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in Laos and Thailand. It was named after zoologist C. Boden Kloss.
The long-nosed mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to China, where it has a widespread distribution.
The Himalayan mole or short-tailed mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae.
The small-toothed mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in Di Linh, in southern Vietnam, and Rakho near the border of Vietnam and China, and in southern Yunnan, China, near the Vietnamese border. It is likely that it has a broader distribution, especially in places between the currently known locations.
The insular mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is restricted to Hainan Island and Taiwan, where it is also known as the Formosan blind mole. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1863.
The Gansu mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae endemic to central China, where it occurs in Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, and Qinghai. It is the only species in the genus Scapanulus.
Talpini is a tribe of mammals known as Old World Moles. It is a division of the subfamily Talpinae.
Urotrichini is a tribe of the mole family, and consists of Japanese and American shrew-moles. They belong to the Old World moles and relatives branch of the mole family (Talpidae). There are only two species, each of which represents its own genus. The name "shrew-moles" refers to their morphological resemblance to shrews, while generally being thought of as "true moles". The species are the Japanese shrew mole, True's shrew mole and American shrew mole.
The Scalopinae, or New World moles, are one of three subfamilies of the family Talpidae, which consists of moles and mole-like animals; the other two subfamilies being the Old World talpids and the Chinese shrew-like moles (Uropsilinae). The Scalopinae are the only Talpidae subfamily to consist entirely of undisputed moles and no mole-like close relatives such as shrew-moles or desmans.
The Vietnamese mole is a species of talpine mole found in Vietnam.
The Talysch mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is a small member of the family, which outwardly resembles the Levant mole, but is genetically closer to Père David's mole. It is common on the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea, from southern of Azerbaijan through most of the north of Iran. The habitat includes temperate rainforests and scrub areas. There is little information about the life history of the Talysch mole. It was described in 1945, but had long been considered a subspecies of various other Eurasian moles, and was only recognized as a distinct species in the mid-2010s. No surveys have been carried out to quantify the status of the species.
La Touche's mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in eastern China and parts of northern Vietnam. It is named after Irish naturalist John David Digues La Touche.
Kuznetsov's mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in northern Vietnam and southern China. It was named after Russian mammalogist German V. Kuznetsov of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The Ngoc Linh mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to central Vietnam. It was named after Ngọc Linh mountain, which it was first discovered in the vicinity of.
The Malaysian mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to the highlands of peninsular Malaysia, making it the southernmost known species of mole.