New World Moles

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New World Moles
East American mole (Scalopus aquaticus)

East American mole ( Scalopus aquaticus )

Systematics
Class : Mammals (mammalia)
Subclass : Higher mammals (Eutheria)
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria
Order : Insect eater (Eulipotyphla)
Family : Moles (Talpidae)
Subfamily : New World Moles
Scientific name
Scalopinae
Gill , 1875

The New World Moles (Scalopinae) are a subfamily of the moles (Talpidae) with seven species, six of which live in North America and one in Asia .

description

The body of these animals is cylindrical, with the pointed snout typical of moles (which has fringe-like projections in the star mole ) and the short limbs that are transformed into digging tools. The color of the fur varies from light gray to brownish to black. New world moles reach a body length of 10 to 19 centimeters and a weight of 40 to 170 grams.

Distribution and way of life

New world moles inhabit the central and eastern parts as well as the Pacific coast of the USA and adjacent areas in Canada and Mexico . One species, the Gansu mole , is native to central China .

These animals build underground passages that serve as hunting grounds and hiding places. Most of them run just below the surface of the earth; the species that live in cooler regions retreat to deeper layers of the earth in winter. They do not hibernate and can be active both day and night.

The food of the New World moles consists of earthworms and insects and their larvae. Occasionally they also take subterranean plant parts. The animals are characterized by a high metabolic rate, they often consume more daily than their body weight.

Reproduction

The breeding season of most species is in the spring, whereby they give birth only once a year. The gestation period is four to six weeks, after which the female gives birth to two to five young animals. These eat solid food after just a month, are fully grown after a few weeks and sexually mature in the next spring. The life expectancy of these animals is estimated at up to six years.

Systematics

Internal systematics of the New World moles according to Bannikova et al. 2015
 Scalopini  



 Scapanus


   

 Scalopus



   

 Parascalops



   

 Scapanulus



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  • The star mole rat ( Condylura cristata ) is characterized by fringe-like appendages on the snout and partly leads an aquatic way of life.
  • The East American mole ( Scalopus aquaticus ) is native to eastern North America. It differs from the other species by its relatively long snout.
  • The hair- tailed mole ( Parascalops breweri ) also lives in eastern North America. Its thick, fleshy tail is thickly covered with hair.
  • The West American moles ( Scapanus ) comprise three species that live on the North American Pacific coast.
  • The Gansu mole ( Scapanulus oweni ) is the only representative of this group to live in Asia , in the central parts of China. The thick and hairy tail is characteristic.

The last four genera mentioned are combined to form the genus group Scalopini, which form the sister group to the star mole (Condylurini). This classic view is opposed to molecular genetic studies, which refer the star mole close to the Desmane (Desmanini) and the real moles (Talpini) and thus exclude it from the group of the New World moles.

In the past, it was assumed that the New World moles were closely related to the real moles from Eurasia, which also live in burrows . Molecular genetic studies have however shown that the authentics moles closely with Desmanen and others are less related to an underground lifestyle adapted animals in the group of talpinae are summarized. Obviously, in the evolution of the moles, forms have developed several times which are specialized in a burrowing way of life.

literature

  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
  • Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b A. A. Bannikova, ED Zemlemerova, VS Lebedev, D. Yu. Aleksandrov, Yun Fang and BI Sheftel: Phylogenetic Position of the Gansu Mole Scapanulus oweni Thomas, 1912 and the Relationships Between Strictly Fossorial Tribes of the Family Talpidae. Doklady Biological Sciences 464, 2015, pp. 230–234 @
  2. ↑ Kai He, Akio Shinohara, Kristofer M. Helgen, Mark S. Springer, Xue-Long Jiang, Kevin L. Campbell: Talpid Mole Phylogeny Unites Shrew Moles and Illuminates Overlooked Cryptic Species Diversity. In: Molecular Biology and Evolution. 34 (1), 2016, pp. 78–87

Web links

Commons : Scalopinae  - collection of images, videos and audio files