Talpa aquitania Mar- tinez-Vargas &amp; Hugot 1758
Creators: name: Mittermeier, Russell A.
name: Wilson, Don E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Soricomorpha
Talpidae
Talpa
Talpa aquitania

description: 33. Aquitanian Mole <i>Talpa aquitania</i> <b>French:</b> Taupe d’Aquitaine / <b>German:</b> Aquitanien-Maulwurf / <b>Spanish:</b> Topo de Aquitania <b>Taxonomy.</b> Talpa aquitania Nicolas, Mar- tinez-Vargas &amp; Hugot, 2017, “Saint-Benoit, [France], 46-546°N-0-348°W.” lalpa aquitania is in subgenus Talpa. It was recognized as a species distinct from 7. europaea based on mitochondrial sequences. The name aquitania was first presented in 2015, but the publication did not satisfy the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature; it was formerly named in 2017. T. aquitania is sister to 1. occidentalis. Monotypic. <b>Distribution.</b> France (W &amp; S of Loire River) and N &amp; NE Iberian Peninsula (E Cantabrian coast and Mts, N Iberian System Mts, N Ebro Basin, Pyrenees, and N Catalonia). <b>Descriptive notes.</b> Head-body 127-5-203 mm (males) and 116-182 mm (females), tail 19-38 mm, hindfoot 28-21 mm; weight 45-120 g (males) and 48-89 g (females). The Aquitanian Mole is morphologically similar to the European Mole (7. europaea), except that its eyes are closed by skin. Skull is relatively narrow across rostrum, and mesostyle of M' is simple. Females have four pairs of nipples. Dental formula is I 3/3, C1/1,P 4/4, M 3/3 (x2) = 44. Karyotype is 2n = 34. <b>Habitat.</b> Pastures, farmland, gardens, mountain meadows, and deciduous forests, with deep, light soil and plentiful prey, from sea level to elevations of ¢.2000 m. Aquitanian Moles are absent from poorly drained and excessively dry, rocky, or sandy soils; acidic soils are sparsely populated because of scarcity of prey. <b>Food and Feeding.</b> Diet of the Aquitanian Mole in northern Spain mainly consists of earthworms (Lumbricidae) and larvae of dipterans (Diptera) and beetles (Coleoptera). Aquitanian Moles also prey on centipedes, adult beetles, hymenopterans, and snails. Diet composition is stable across seasons. <b>Breeding.</b> Breeding season in north-eastern Spain lasts 5-6 months (December—June), with peak in January-March. Some female Aquitanian Moles possibly have two or even tree litters per season. Numbers of embryos are 2—4/female; mean numbers in two populations were 3 and 3-1. Pregnant females were found in January-June and lactating females in February—June. Young attain sexual maturity in the yearafter their birth. <b>Activity patterns.</b> The Aquitanian Mole is fossorial and digs underground galleries. Tunnels are 5-30 cm deep. In Catalonia, activity peaks in morning and early afternoon. <b>Movements, Home range and Social organization.</b> The Aquitanian Mole is territorial. <b>Status and Conservation.</b> Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Aquitanian Mole is common in suitable habitats and probably is not under threat. <b>Bibliography.</b> Castién &amp; Gosélbez (1995), Hernandez (2016), Hugot et al. (2014), Lopez-Fuster et al. (1988), Nicolas, Martinez-Vargas &amp; Hugot (2015, 2017a, 2017b), Roman (2002a).
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 614, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6678191