Talpa caucasica Satunin 1908
Creators: name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
name: Wilson, Don E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Soricomorpha
Talpidae
Talpa
Talpa caucasica

description: 26. Caucasian Mole <i>Talpa caucasica</i> <b>French:</b> Taupe du Caucase / <b>German:</b> Kaukasus-Maulwurf / <b>Spanish:</b> Topo del Cducaso <b>Taxonomy.</b> Talpa caeca caucasica Satunin, 1908, Stavropol, Stavropol Krai, Russia. lalpa caucasica is in subgenus 7 Talpa and caucasica species group. Untl recently,it contained 7. ognevi as a subspecies. The two were separated as distinct species following molecular analysis that retrieved deep genetic divergence. Taxonomic identity of moles from coastal zone between Novorossiysk and Sukhumi (subspecies orientalis named by S. I. Ognev in 1926) is still not known. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> SW Ciscaucasia, from Sea of Azov and as far N as River Yeya in Krasnodar Krai (Russia), and Greater Caucasus N of line Nalchik—Sukhumi. <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 108-142 mm (males) and 99-136 mm (females), tail 22— 42 mm (males) and 27-41 mm (females), hindfoot 16-20-8 mm (males) and 16-18 mm (females); weight 40-102 g (males) and 38-95 g (females). Male Caucasian Moles average 15-23% heavier than females, depending on population. Size varies geographically. Caucasian Moles are smaller at elevations below 1000 m and to the north and north-east of the Caucasus (mean weight of males in the two populations 63-8 g and 67-5 g) and larger at high elevations in the main Caucasian ridge (mean weight of males 79 g). Externally, the Caucasian Mole closely resembles the European Mole (7. europaea). Eyes are under transparent skin. Fur is blackish gray, blackish brown, or black. Deviant color variants are rare; seven moles among 15,000 examined were gray or Havana brown. Moles with buff, yellow, or white spots and blotches on snout, chest, and throat are more common. Pelvis is cecoidal. Skull is long and narrow across rostrum. Dental formula is I 3/3, C1/1,P4/4,M 3/3 (x2) = 44. Molars are robust, with bifurcate mesostyle. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 38, FN = 66, and FNa = 62; largest chromosome is acrocentric. <b>Habitat.</b> Humid depressions, river valleys, and patches of oak (Quercus, Fagaceae) woodland. Humid places and deciduous forests are preferred habitats of the Caucasian Mole. With increasing elevation, habitat becomes more restricted due to summer droughts. At higher elevations, Caucasian Moles occur in dark coniferous forests and alpine meadows as high as 2800 m. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> Earthworms are the main prey of the Caucasian Mole. In the Caucasus, 91% of stomachs contained earthworms, and 75% had insects and other arthropods, which only contributed slightly more than 10% of biomass consumed. Plants were found in stomachs, but captive individuals did not eat vegetable matter. Mean stomach content was 2-5 g in males and 2-3 g in females. Daily food requirementis 30-40 g. <b>Breeding.</b> Sex ratio of the Caucasian Mole is 1:1. Reproduction starts in February, exceptionally inJanuary. First pregnant females were recorded in mid-February, but pregnancy peaked 5-25 March. Gravid females can be found until end of May and very exceptionally in late June. Gestation lasts 35-40 days. There is a single litter/year, with 1-5 young (mean 2-8 embryos). Young are resistantto starvation and survive 1-3 days with no food. Postnatal developmentis rapid, and 30—40day-old Caucasian Moles are 100-110 mm long and weigh 20-30 g. At this age, they start exploring galleries on their own. <b>Activity patterns.</b> The Caucasian Mole burrows and unearths excavated soil on the ground’s surface in characteristic molehills. In two weeks, an individual excavated 42 m of tunnels at depths of 10-20 cm and made 87 molehills, with total volume of soil of 0-2 m®. Density of molehills varies from 20 molehills/ha (dark coniferous forest and low-elevation forest steppe) or 30 molehills/ha (subalpine pastures) to 100 molehills/ ha (broadleaf forests). Molehills are larger on subalpine meadows (24 x 26 x 12 cm) than in forests (20 x 25 x 6-9 cm). Average molehill contains 2268 cm? of soil, but the largest recorded had a volume of 20,725 cm?®. Permanent tunnels are 20-25 cm (up to 1 m) underground, with side tunnels. Surface tunnels can be constructed in forest litter. When in the soil, tunnels are 5 cm deep in forests and 8-20 cm deep in forest steppe and alpine meadows. Expanded chambers, with or without bedding, are 10-40 cm underground. They can be shallower (10-15 cm deep) when hidden by old trunks or elevated structures. Nest chambers are 12-16 cm long, 10-15 cm wide, and 8-10 cm deep. They usually contain dry plants and rotten wood. Nests are sheltered under tree roots, a large stone, or mound of soil. Diurnal activity is polyphasic, and three peaks were recorded in June: 05:00-08:00 h, 14:00-17:00 h, and 20:00-00:00 h. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> There is no specific information about this species, but the Caucasian Mole is probably similar to the European Mole. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Caucasian Mole is included in red books of Kabardino-Balkaria and Kalmykia (Russian Federation). It was heavily exploited for skins in the past. Krasnodar Krai was the main provider and sent to market up to 1-8 million skins/year in 1937-1941. In the 1940s and 1950s, trapping becameless intense (up to 35,000 skins/year) and has ceased now. Landscape exploitation and transformation frequently increase drought during summer, which can reduce local populations of Caucasian Moles. <b>Bibliography.</b> Bannikova, Zemlemerova, Colangelo et al. (2015), Kuznetsov (1970), Ognev (1926), Sandzhiev &amp; Bukreeva (2012), Sokolov &amp; Tembotov (1989), Tembotov (1972), Vereshchagin (1967), Zaitsev et al. (2014).
description: Published as part of <i>Russell A. Mittermeier &amp; Don E. Wilson, 2018, Talpidae, pp. 52-619 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions</i> on page 610, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6678191