Talpa aquitania, Mar- tinez-Vargas & Hugot, 1758

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 : 614

33.

Aquitanian Mole

Talpa aquitania

French: Taupe d’Aquitaine / German: Aquitanien-Maulwurf / Spanish: Topo de Aquitania

Taxonomy. Talpa aquitania Nicolas, Mar- tinez-Vargas & 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.

Distribution. France (W & S of Loire River) and N & NE Iberian Peninsula (E Cantabrian coast and Mts, N Iberian System Mts, N Ebro Basin, Pyrenees, and N Catalonia).

Descriptive notes. 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.

Habitat. 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.

Food and Feeding. 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.

Breeding. 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.

Activity patterns. The Aquitanian Mole is fossorial and digs underground galleries. Tunnels are 5-30 cm deep. In Catalonia, activity peaks in morning and early afternoon.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Aquitanian Mole is territorial.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. The Aquitanian Mole is common in suitable habitats and probably is not under threat.

Bibliography. Castién & Gosélbez (1995), Hernandez (2016), Hugot et al. (2014), Lopez-Fuster et al. (1988), Nicolas, Martinez-Vargas & Hugot (2015, 2017a, 2017b), Roman (2002a).

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. France (W & S of Loire River) and N & NE Iberian Peninsula (E Cantabrian coast and Mts, N Iberian System Mts, N Ebro Basin, Pyrenees, and N Catalonia).