Nannospalax

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Nannospalax
Slipak bilozubii (Nannospalax leucodon).jpg
Lesser blind mole-rat (N. leucodon)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Spalacidae
Subfamily: Spalacinae
Genus: Nannospalax
Palmer, 1903
Species

Nannospalax ehrenbergi
Nannospalax leucodon
Nannospalax xanthodon

Contents

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 (subfamily Spalacinae), alongside Spalax . [1] [2] Members of this genus are also known as small-bodied mole-rats. [3] As with members of the genus Spalax, they are completely blind, with their eyes being entirely covered by skin.

Taxonomy and evolution

Until 2013, members of this genus were grouped in Spalax, but phylogenetic analysis indicates that both diverged during the late Miocene, about 7.6 million years ago, when a marine barrier formed between Anatolia and the Balkans. It also supports two different subgenera within this genus; Nannospalax sensu stricto (containing a single species) and Mesospalax, which diverged from each other during the late Miocene or early Pliocene, after the uplift of the Anatolian Plateau . [4]

Members of this genus are notable for their extreme chromosomal diversity, some of which may represent as-of-yet unrecognized species-level taxa. [3] Genetic analysis indicates distinct periods of diversification among spalacids that correspond with climactic changes caused by Milankovitch cycles. [4]

Species

There are three species in this genus in two subgenera:

Some authorities, including ITIS and Mammal Species of the World, have split out four species endemic to Israel and surrounding regions from N. ehrenbergi based on chromosomal divergence reported by the research of the Institute of Evolution at the University of Haifa:

However, the American Society of Mammalogists and the IUCN Red List presently group these within N. ehrenbergi due to taxonomic uncertainty. [5] [6] [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spalacidae</span> Family of rodents

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.

<i>Spalax</i> Genus of rodents

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blind mole-rat</span> Subfamily of rodents

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 & 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.

<i>Microtus</i> Genus of rodents

Microtus is a genus of voles found in North America, Europe and northern Asia. The genus name refers to the small ears of these animals. They are stout rodents with short ears, legs and tails. They eat green vegetation such as grasses and sedges in summer, and grains, seeds, root and bark at other times. The genus is also called "meadow voles".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle East blind mole-rat</span> Species of mammal

The Middle East blind mole-rat or Palestine mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser blind mole-rat</span> Species of rodent

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anatolian blind mole-rat</span> Species of rodent

The Anatolian blind mole-rat or Nehring's blind mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is found in Armenia, Georgia, and Turkey.

The Euphrates jerboa is a rodent of the family Dipodidae and genus Scarturus. They are characteristically known as hopping rodents. They have been found in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and also occurs very marginally in southeastern Turkey. The Euphrates jerboa's natural habitats are semi-deserts, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and hot deserts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant blind mole-rat</span> Species of rodent

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ognev's mole</span> Species of mammal

Ognev's mole is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It occurs in the southeastern coastal area of the Black Sea from northeastern Turkey to Georgia. It inhabits different habitats associated with moist soils in lowland areas. Little information is available about its life history.

Mehely's blind mole-rat is an endangered species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Romania.

The Oltenia blind mole-rat is a critically endangered, possibly extinct species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Romania.

References

  1. ↑ Database, Mammal Diversity (2022-02-01), Mammal Diversity Database, doi:10.5281/zenodo.5945626 , retrieved 2022-03-07
  2. ↑ KRYŠTUFEK, BORIS; IVANITSKAYA, ELENA; ARSLAN, ATILLA; ARSLAN, EMINE; BUŽAN, ELENA V. (2011-10-31). "Evolutionary history of mole rats (genus Nannospalax) inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 105 (2): 446–455. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2011.01795.x. ISSN   0024-4066. S2CID   83596816.
  3. 1 2 Matur, Ferhat; Yanchukov, Alexey; Çolak, Faruk; Sözen, Mustafa (2019-01-01). "Two major clades of blind mole rats (Nannospalax sp.) revealed by mtDNA and microsatellite genotyping in Western and Central Turkey". Mammalian Biology. 94: 38–47. doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2018.11.004. ISSN   1616-5047. S2CID   92557692.
  4. 1 2 Hadid, Yarin; Németh, Attila; Snir, Sagi; Pavlíček, Tomáš; Csorba, Gábor; Kázmér, Miklós; Major, Ágnes; Mezhzherin, Sergey; Rusin, Mikhail; Coşkun, Yüksel; Nevo, Eviatar (2012-01-09). "Is Evolution of Blind Mole Rats Determined by Climate Oscillations?". PLOS ONE. 7 (1): e30043. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...730043H. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030043 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   3253805 . PMID   22253871.
  5. ↑ "Nannospalax ehrenbergi (Nehring, 1898)". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists . Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  6. ↑ Lövy, M. & Gazzard, A. (2023). "Nannospalax ehrenbergi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2023: e.T14326A22276839. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T14326A22276839.en . Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  7. ↑ Arslan, Atilla; Kryštufek, Boris; Matur, Ferhat; Zima, Jan (2016). "Review of chromosome races in blind mole rats (Spalax and Nannospalax)". Folia Zoologica. 65 (4): 249–301. doi:10.25225/fozo.v65.i4.a1.2016. ISSN   0139-7893. S2CID   90250254.
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