Eospalax fontanierii
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Spalacidae
Eospalax
Eospalax fontanierii

description: 6.
Fontanier’s Zokor
Eospalax fontanierii
French: Zokor de Fontanier / German: China-Blindmull / Spanish: Zocor de Fontanier
Other common names: Chinese Zokor
Taxonomy. Siphneus fontanierii Milne-Edwards, 1867,
Kansu, China.
Although O. Thomas in 1911 treated them as separate species, G. M. Allen in 1940 included cansus and bailey: as subspecies of fontanierii and treated rufescens as a synonym of cansus. Many references to E. fontanieri pertain instead to the betterstudied E. baileyi or E. cansus. In recent years, a variety of studies support treating E. fontanierii as a distinct species from these other forms based on mtDNA, cranial morphology, molar shape, and hair morphology. Molecular data recover E. fontanierii as sister to a clade that contains all other species of Eospalax with moderate support. Monotypic.
Distribution. N Shaanxi, Shanxi, W Hebei, and NE Inner Mongolia (= Nei Mongol), E China.
Descriptive notes. Head-body 163-245 mm,tail 38-69 mm; weight 184-563 g. Male Fontanier’s Zokors are larger than females. They are large and gray to yellowish brown overall. Hairs are slate-gray at the base and tipped with a more brownish color that shine enough to give slightsilvered effect. Chin and throat are gray, and underside is slightly grayer than dorsum. Upper lips and muzzle are white or light, and distinctive white streak is usually present running down midline of head. Additional white patches may be present elsewhere on body. Tail is long and sparsely haired, nearly naked. Feet are also sparsely haired. Young are dark gray; hairs are paler at tips. M”* has three re-entrant folds. Diploid numberis 2n = 60.
Habitat. Steppe, grassland, farmland, pastures, and lawns.
Food and Feeding. Fontanier’s Zokor feeds on roots and underparts of plants, usually accessing them from below. Food plants include Chinese artichoke (Stachys sieboldu, Lamiaceae), ladybells (Adenophora, Campanulaceae), Bupleurum (Apiaceae), great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis, Rosaceae), Chinese red pine saplings (Pinus tabuliformas, Pinaceae), and sedges (Carex, Cyperaceae). It builds up food stores during summer and autumn that are eaten in winter.
Breeding. Reproduction of Fontanier’s Zokor peaks in March—June. Males and females are thoughtto live separately, only coming together during breeding, but they have been observed in the same burrow at other times. Litter sizes are 1-6 young, usually 2—4 young.
Activity patterns. Underground activity of Fontanier’s Zokors peaks in morning and evening. When an individual ventures aboveground, it does so at night.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Burrows of Fontanier’s Zokors are elaborate with multiple chambers and tunnels, but little indication of a burrow’s presence might be visible aboveground. They are 66-127 m long. Food-finding, pathway, and communication tunnels are present along with toilet, nesting, and food storage chambers. Nest chamber is ¢.35 x 30 x 25 cm, lined with dry grasses and leaves, and located deep in the burrow system (c.93 cm deep). One to three storage chambers are present. Toilets tend to be located at the far ends of the system. When a toilet is full, it is blocked off, and another one is dug. Parts of the burrow may be abandoned over time; these are walled off. Specific communication tunnels are constructed wherein individuals communicate seismically with neighbors. Predators include the Altai Mountain Weasel (Mustela altaica) and the Steppe Polecat (M. eversmanii).
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (an assessment that includes E. cansus, E. rufescens, and E. baileyi) and the 2016 China Red List, where it is treated as a distinct species. Fontanier’s Zokoris an agricultural pest and is the subject of control measures, including poison.
Bibliography. Allen (1940), Ellerman & Morrison-Scott (1951), Fan Naichang & Gu Shougin (1981), Fan Naichang & ShiYinzhu (1982), He Ya et al. (2012), Jiang Zhigang et al. (2016), Lawrence (1991), Li Baoguo & Chen Fuguan (1989), Musser & Carleton (2005), Norris et al. (2004), Smith & Johnston (2008a), Song (1986), Su Junhu et al. (2014), Thomas (1911a, 1911b), Wang Tingzheng & Li Xiaochen (1993), Wang Yingxiang (2003), Wu Panwen et al. (2007), Zhou Caiquan & Zhou Kaiya (2008).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Spalacidae, pp. 108-142 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 132-133, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6609100