22.

Sandy Blind Mole-rat

Spalax arenarius

French: Spalax des sables / German: Sandblindmaus / Spanish: Rata topo ciega de los arenales

Other common names: Sandy Mole-rat

Taxonomy. Spalax arenarius Reshetnik, 1939,

NW shore of Black Sea, Golaya Pristan, Nikolaev Region, Ukraine.

Spalax arenarius is the sister species to S. zemni, and it has been treated as a subspecies or synonym of S. zemni, S. microphthalmus, and S. giganteus in the past. Its species status is supported by morphological features and is broadly accepted in recent texts. Monotypic.

Distribution. E bank of the Dniepr River near its opening into the Black Sea (S Ukraine).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 190-275 mm, no visible external tail; weight 380-660 g. Male Sandy Blind Mole-rats are larger than females. They are large pale straw-yellow-gray. Front of head is lighter grayish white, and venter is pale mouse gray. Fringe of pale yellow-gray hair extends from nose to ears. Diploid number is 2n = 62.

Habitat. Sparsely vegetated absinth (Ar temisia, Asteraceae)grass and absinthspurge ( Euphorbiaceae) steppes. The Sandy Blind Mole-rat is found in light, moderately wet, sandy soils with a low water table and is never found in moving sands, dry feather-grass steppe, or alkali soils.

Food and Feeding. Sandy Blind Mole-rats feed on a variety of plants including field eryngo ( Eryngium campestre, Apiaceae), wormwood ( Artemisia campestris, Asteraceae), and goatsbeard (7 Tragopogon ucrainicus, Asteraceae). Accumulated winter stores weigh 10-15 kg.

Breeding. Breeding of the Sandy Blind Mole-rat occurs once a year in March. Young are born in April-May, and lactation lasts c.1 month.

Activity patterns. No information.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Sandy Blind Mole-rats are solitary and aggressive toward conspecifics. Feeding tunnels can be 200 m long and occur at depths of 40-50 cm. Individual home ranges are more than 80 m?. Vertical shafts connect to chambers atjust over 1 m deep. Mounds are 35-93 cm in diameter and 20-45 cm in height. The Sandy Blind Mole-rat occurs at densities of 5 ind/ha in optimal habitat and 0-9-1-2 ind/ha elsewhere. Predators include foxes, mustelids, domestic dogs, and raptors.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. The Sandy Blind Mole-rat is protected in the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, but it faces conservation threats and is declining outside ofthis area. Its extent of occurrence is ¢.2000 km? and its area of occupancy is ¢.55 km?®. It is threatened by afforestation activities that are intended to stabilize the landscape and to support commercial forestry. Total population is estimated at 15,000-20,000 individuals, which are known from fewer than five localities.

Bibliography. Gromov & Erbajeva (1995), Hadid et al. (2012), Musser & Carleton (2005), Németh et al. (2013), Ognev (1947), Puzachenko (2016h), Topachevskii (1969), Tsytsulina & Zagorodnyuk (2008).