White-tailed mole

White-tailed mole [1]
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Talpidae
Genus:	Parascaptor Gill, 1875
Species:	P. leucura
Binomial name
Parascaptor leucura (Blyth, 1850)
White-tailed mole range

The white-tailed mole (Parascaptor leucura) is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in Bangladesh, ^[2] China, India, and Myanmar. This species are endemic to East Asia and exhibit limited distributions. ^[3] It is the only species in the genus Parascaptor.

It has a looser articulation between the malleus and the ectotympanic bone and a reduced or absent orbicular apophysis. Parascaptor has a hypertrophied malleus, a feature shared with Scaptochirus but not found in any other talpid genera. It lacks a tensor tympani muscle, possess complete bullae, and has extensions of the middle ear cavity that pneumatize the surrounding basicranial bones. ^[4]

References

1. Hutterer, R. (2005). Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
2. Molur, S. (2016). "Parascaptor leucura". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T41470A22322993. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T41470A22322993.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.
3. He, K; Shinohara, A; Jiang, X. L.; Campbel, K. L. (2014). "Multilocus phylogeny of talpine moles (Talpini, Talpidae, Eulipotyphla) and its implications for systematics". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 70: 513–521. Bibcode:2014MolPE..70..513H. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.10.002. PMID   24140029.
4. Mason, M. J. (2006). "Evolution of the middle ear apparatus in talpid moles". Journal of Morphology. 267 (6): 678–695. doi:10.1002/jmor.10430. PMC   7166676 . PMID   16511863.