Spalacidae
| Spalacidae | ||||||||||||
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Blind mouse |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Spalacidae | ||||||||||||
| JE Gray , 1821 |
The Spalacidae are a rodent family from the group of mice (Muroidea). This group includes around 36 mainly underground and burrowing species.
features
The animals are adapted to the underground and burrowing way of life and are characterized by reduced or regressed eyes, a short tail and a stocky build with a wide snout. As a result, they show similarities to other burrowing mammals, such as the moles and the gold mole .
distribution
Spalacidae are common in southeastern Europe , Asia, and northern and eastern Africa . Both the blind mice (Spalacinae) and the blind mole (Myospalacinae) live in Eurasia and in some cases they were regarded as independent families. Individual species of blind mice also occur in Europe, such as the western blind vole ( Spalax leucodon , also known as Nannospalax leucodon ) in south-eastern Europe and the eastern blind vole ( Spalax microphthalmus ) in Ukraine and Russia . The blind mole rats live mainly in eastern Russia to the People's Republic of China . The root rats (Rhizomyinae) live in Central and Southeast Asia and the African mole rats ( Tachyoryctinae) in East Africa.
Systematics
The family is currently divided into four subfamilies:
- Blind mice (Spalacinae)
- Blind mole rat (Myospalacinae)
- Root rats (Rhizomyinae)
- African mole rats (Tachyoryctinae)
literature
- Andrew T. Smith: Family Spalacidae. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , pp. 209 ff.
- Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
