Spalax istricus, Mehely, 1909
publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6609100 |
DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6608876 |
persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03AE87DD-FF94-BD18-FAE8-FB4BF899F4C4 |
treatment provided by |
Felipe |
scientific name |
Spalax istricus |
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Oltenia Blind Mole-rat
French: Spalax d'Olténie / German: Oltenien-Blindmaus / Spanish: Rata topo ciega de Oltenia
Taxonomy. Spalax istricus Méhely, 1909 View in CoL ,
Barza , Olt County, Romania.
L. Méhely in 1909 designated three syntypes from three different localities. G. S. Miller in 1912 restricted the type locality to Barza, and G. Csorba and A. Demeter in 1991 designated the specimen from Barza as the lectotype. Spalax istricus View in CoL isa member of the S. graecus View in CoL species group, which is characterized by elongated nasal bones and higher position ofsella externa of the mandible relative to sella interna. Spalax istricus View in CoL was traditionally united with S. graecus View in CoL and S. antiquus into a single species, S. graecus View in CoL . Spalax istricus View in CoL was usually treated as a synonym of S. graecus View in CoL or united with S. antiquus as a distinct subspecies, S. g. istricus View in CoL . In an analysis of mtDNA, A. Németh and colleagues in 2013 demonstrated that S. graecus View in CoL and S. antiquus exhibit considerable genetic divergence that was comparable to species-level differences among other species of Spalax. They also demonstrated clear morphological differences among S. graecus View in CoL , S. antiqguus, and S. istricus View in CoL that led to their conclusion that these represent three distinct species. Monotypic.
Distribution. S Romania. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body c.242 mm, no visible external tail. No specific data are available for body weight. Color of the Oltenia Blind Mole-rat is variable; in the original description, it was referred to as reddish brown above and rust-colored below. According to Németh and colleagues in 2013, the Oltenia Blind Mole-rat differs from the other members of the S. graecus group in having a rostrum that is narrowed above but wider ventrally.
Habitat. Steppes,fields, and orchards of Oltenia and Muntenia, Romania.
Food and Feeding. No information.
Breeding. No information.
Activity patterns. No information.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List (under S. graecus ). Additional careful assessment of the Oltenia Blind Mole-rat separate from the Bukovina Blind Mole-rat ( S. graecus ) and Mehely’s Blind Mole-rat (S. antiquus) is needed. The Oltenia Blind Mole-rat has not been recorded in 30 years and appears to be extremely rare or extinct.
Bibliography. Chisamera et al. (2014), Csorba & Demeter (1991), Hadid et al. (2012), Krystufek (1999a), Méhely (1909), Miller (1912a), Murariu & Torcea (1984), Musser & Carleton (2005), Németh et al. (2013), Topachevskii (1969), Zagorodnyuk & Coroiu (2008).
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.
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Spalax istricus
Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr 2017 |
Spalax istricus Méhely, 1909
Mehely 1909 |
Spalax istricus
Mehely 1909 |
Spalax istricus
Mehely 1909 |
Spalax istricus
Mehely 1909 |
istricus
Mehely 1909 |
istricus
Mehely 1909 |
S. graecus
Nehring 1898 |
S. graecus
Nehring 1898 |
S. graecus
Nehring 1898 |
S. graecus
Nehring 1898 |
S. graecus
Nehring 1898 |
S. graecus
Nehring 1898 |