Mogera wogura (Temminck, 1842)

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Talpidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 52-619 : 615

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Large Japanese Mole

Mogera wogura

French: Taupe de Temminck / German: Japan-Maulwurf / Spanish: Topo de Japén grande

Other common names: Japanese Western Mole, Temminck's Mole

Taxonomy. Talpa wogura Temminck, 1842 ,

Japan. Restricted by O. Thomas in 1905 to “Yokohama,” but H. Abe in 1995 consid- ered it “probably ... Nagasaki Prefecture or somewhere else where small-bodied moles are found in west or south Kyushu.” Before 1995, M. wogura had often been classified as M. kobeae because type locality of M. wogura was erroneously regarded to be Yokohama (E Honshu). Type locality is now fixed at Nagasaki (Kyushu), and the species name changed to M. wogura .

In a molecular phylogeographic study, M. robusta was paraphyletic with respect to M. wogura . Phylogenetic history and speciation of M. wogura and M. robusta are still under debate. Molecular study showed several geographical clusters also within M. wogura . Monotypic.

Distribution. WJapan (W Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and adjacentislands of Tsushima, Goto Is, Yakushima, Tanegashima, Oki Is, Yashirojima, Shodoshima, and Awajishima); E limit of distribution on Honshu is located across Ishikawa, Gifu, Nagano, and Shizuoka prefectures.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 123-180 mm, tail 11:5-29 mm, hindfoot 15-5-23 mm; weight 62:9-178 g. Tail of the Large Japanese Mole is 8:5-17-9% of head—body length. Body size is variable geographically; individuals from broad, humid plains are usually larger than those from mountain regions. Populations on Yaku Island and Tane Island south of Kyushu are smallest in body size. Body is cylindrical, snout is relatively wide, and eyes are small and hidden in fur. Tail is short and rather hairy. Pelage varies in color. Summer pelage is dark grayish black or reddish brown above and slightly paler below; throat and upper chest are ocherous tawny or orange in adults. Pelage is much darker in summer than in winter. Albinism was reported. Skull is characterized by broader rostrum, narrow and nearly cylindrical interorbital portion, angular and shorter braincase, and rounded arc-like upper incisor row. Dental formula is I 3/2, C 1/1,P4/4,M 3/3 (x2) =42. Dental anomalies were found in 6-4% of individuals with absent, supernumerary, and connate teeth. There are 7 cervical, 14 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 6 sacral, and 12 caudal vertebrae. There are 4 pairs of mammae: 1-2 pectoral, 1-2 abdominal, and one inguinal. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 36 and FNa = 52.

Habitat. Various habitats, including forests, grasslands, pastures, farms, and levees in paddy fields. Greatest skull length is related with quality of habitat, and there also is a negative correlation between skull size and mean minimum temperature. Size variation is not constant across all populations because Large Japanese Moles are also smaller in narrow valleys. The Large Japanese Mole is sympatric with the Japanese Mountain Mole ( Oreoscaptor mizura ) and the Small Japanese Mole ( M. imaizumii ) on Honshu. In Kanazawa Plain, sympatry with the SmallJapanese Mole was documented in the Tedori alluvial fan. The LargeJapanese Mole was found in areas with softer soil, and the SmallJapanese Mole inhabited hardersoils. Deserted latrines were found 15-35 cm underground.

Food and Feeding. The Large Japanese Mole mainly eats earthworms (Pheretima spp.). Other food items include larvae of coleopterans and lepidopterans, mole crickets (Gryllotalpa orientalis), and species of Chilopoda, Hemiptera, and Diptera .

Breeding. The Large Japanese Mole usually breeds in late April to mid-June. Young were born in mid-May to early June, and litters had 3-6 young. Breeding season is, therefore, usually limited to spring and summer, but autumn breeding can occur based on juveniles collected in October. Maximum life span is estimated to be four years based on molar wear, and five annual rings were observed in upper canines.

Activity patterns. Large Japanese Moles are diurnal and fossorial. Nests with single entrances are 4-9 x 4-5 cm in diameter and 34-50 cm deep. They are constructed with fallen broad leaves pressed to the wall of the nest chamber. Main nesting materials were leaves of Fagus crenata and Quercus crispula, both Fagaceae , with a mix of Sasa sp. (Poaceae) and some other plant species. Tunnels are 4.6-7 cm in diameter.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Abe (1967, 1968, 1995, 1996), Corbet (1978), Kashimura, Moteki, Shinohara et al. (2010), Kawada (2016), Kawada, Endo et al. (2011), Kawada, Harada et al. (2001), Kirihara et al. (2013), Koh Hung-Sun et al. (2012), Moribe & Yokohata (2011), Motokawa (2004), Motokawa & Abe (1996), Ohdachi et al. (2015), Sagara & Abe (1993), Sagara, Abe & Okabe (1993), Sagara, Kobayashi et al. (1989), Thomas (1905), Yoshiyuki (1986).

Figures

22. Altai Mole (Talpa altaica), 23. Pere David’s Mole (Talpa davidiana), 24. Talysch Mole (Talpa talyschensis), 25. Ognev’s Mole (Talpa ognevi), 26. Caucasian Mole (Talpa caucasica), 27. Levant Mole (Talpa levantis), 28. Balkan Mole (Talpa stankovici), 29. Blind Mole (Talpa caeca), 30. Roman Mole (Talpa romana), 31. Iberian Mole (Talpa occidentalis), 32. European Mole (Talpa europaea), 33. Aquitanian Mole (Talpa aquitania), 34. Japanese Mountain Mole (Oreoscaptor mizura), 35. Ussuri Mole (Mogera robusta), 36. Large Japanese Mole (Mogera wogura), 37. Small Japanese Mole (Mogera imaizumii), 38. Sado Mole (Mogera tokudae), 39. Echigo Mole (Mogera etigo), 40. Senkaku Mole (Mogera uchidai), 41. Insular Mole (Mogera insularis), 42. Kano’s Mole (Mogera kanoana), 43. La Touche’s Mole (Mogera latoucher), 44. Himalayan Mole (Ewroscaptor micrurus), 45. Greater Chinese Mole (Euroscaptor grandis), 46. Long-nosed Mole (Euroscaptor longurostris), 47. Kloss’s Mole (Euroscaptor klosst), 48. Kuznetsov’s Mole (Euroscaptor kuznetsovi), 49. Orlov’s Mole (Euroscaptor orlovi), 50. Vietnamese Mole (Euroscaptor subanura), 51. Small-toothed Mole (Euroscaptor parvidens), 52. Malaysian Mole (Euroscaptor malayanus), 53. White-tailed Mole (Parascaptor lewcurus), 54. Short-faced Mole (Scaptochirus moschatus)

Distribution. WJapan (W Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and adjacentislands of Tsushima, Goto Is, Yakushima, Tanegashima, Oki Is, Yashirojima, Shodoshima, and Awajishima); E limit of distribution on Honshu is located across Ishikawa, Gifu, Nagano, and Shizuoka prefectures.