| Mehely's blind mole-rat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Spalacidae |
| Genus: | Spalax |
| Species: | S. antiquus |
| Binomial name | |
| Spalax antiquus Méhelÿ, 1909 | |
| Synonyms | |
Spalax graecus antiquus | |
Mehely's blind mole-rat (Spalax antiquus) is an endangered species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Romania. [2]
Previously described in 1909 by Lajos Méhelÿ as a subspecies of the Balkan mole-rat (S. graecus), a 2013 morphological and phylogenetic analysis found it and the Oltenia blind mole-rat (S. istricus) to be distinct, well-defined species. It is thought to be the sister species to S. graecus, and it is thought that the Carpathian Orogeny led to the separation of both species. [3] [4] The American Society of Mammalogists and IUCN Red List follow the results of this study. [1] [2]
This species is restricted to central Romania, where it is thought to be an endemic species of the Carpathian Basin. It inhabits steppe and forest-steppe grasslands on the Transylvanian Plain. Its habitats are largely used as pastureland, although it avoids overgrazed pastures. [1]
This species has suffered a heavy decline in recent decades, and is classified as an endangered species by the IUCN Red List. It is thought to number between 3,550 and 3,800 mature individuals, and may have been extirpated from the southern and southeastern regions of the Transylvanian Plain. [1]
The primary threat to this species are the different factors leading to habitat loss; most populations only survive in suboptimal habitat due as the heavy cultivation of the most favorable habitats, which are fertile loess soils. The most important factor leading to its decline is deep tillage, which prevents the formation of suitable vegetation types and destroys the burrows of this species. In addition, this species is threatened by development and overgrazing of its habitats. Climate change may also affect this species, as genetic and fossil evidence indicates that blind mole-rats were historically sensitive to climate fluctuations (prior fluctuations spurred diversification rather than extinction among mole-rats, but there are little to no dispersal capabilities left for mole-rats in the modern day in order to adapt to ongoing changes), but the extent and direction of this impact remains uncertain. [1]
The naked mole-rat, also known as the sand puppy, is a burrowing rodent native to the Horn of Africa and parts of Kenya, notably in Somali regions. It is closely related to the blesmols and is the only species in the genus Heterocephalus.
The Spalacidae, or spalacids, are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. They are native to eastern Asia, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and southeastern Europe. It includes the blind mole-rats, bamboo rats, mole-rats, and zokors. This family represents the oldest split in the muroid superfamily, and comprises animals adapted to a subterranean way of life. These rodents were thought to have evolved adaptations to living underground independently until recent genetic studies demonstrated they form a monophyletic group. Members of the Spalacidae are often placed in the family Muridae along with all other members of the Muroidea.
Spalax is a genus of rodent in the family Spalacidae, subfamily Spalacinae. It is one of two extant genera in the subfamily Spalacinae, alongside Nannospalax.
The blind mole-rats, also known as the fossorial or subterranean mole rats, are a subfamily (Spalacinae) of rodents in the family Spalacidae, found in eastern Europe and western and central Asia. The hystricognath mole-rats of the family Bathyergidae are completely unrelated, but some other forms are also in the family Spalacidae. Zokors, root rats, and bamboo rats are spalacids also sometimes referred to as mole rats.
The narrow-headed vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It was previously placed in the genus Microtus, but modern listings either lump this into genus Lasiopodomys or split it out into Stenocranius. It ranges over northern and central Asia.
The Middle East blind mole-rat or Palestine mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae.
Nannospalax is a genus of rodent in the family Spalacidae, found in eastern Europe and western Asia. It is one of two genera in the blind mole-rats, alongside Spalax. Members of this genus are also known as small-bodied mole-rats. As with members of the genus Spalax, they are completely blind, with their eyes being entirely covered by skin.
The lesser blind mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is found in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, North Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey and Ukraine.
The sandy blind mole-rat is an endangered species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Ukraine. It was first identified by Evdokia Reshetnik in 1939.
The giant blind mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae endemic to the North Caucasus region of Russia. It feeds on roots and tubers and lives underground in a burrow that it digs with its teeth.
The Bukovina blind mole-rat or (erroneously) the Balkan blind mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae found in Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine.
The greater blind mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is found in Russia and Ukraine.
The Podolsk blind mole-rat or Podolian mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to western and central Ukraine.
The Kazakhstan blind mole-rat or Ural blind mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Kazakhstan, along the Ural River basin and the flood plains of the Uil, Temir, and Emba rivers.
The Oriental serotine is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is widespread and found throughout Asia.
The Hungarian birch mouse is a species of birch mouse in the family Sminthidae. It was once found throughout Central Europe and Romania, but is now only known from two isolated populations in Hungary and Transylvania in Romania, each of which belong to their own subspecies.
The Oltenia blind mole-rat is a critically endangered, possibly extinct species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Romania.
