Talpa occidentalis, Cabrera, 1907

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 : 612-613

31.

Iberian Mole

Talpa occidentalis

French: Taupe ibérique / German: Spanischer Maulwurf / Spanish: Topo ibérico

Other common names: Spanish Mole

Taxonomy. Talpa caeca occidentalis Cabrera, 1907 ,

“La Granja (Segovia),” Guadarrama Mountains, central Spain.

Talpa occidentalis 1s in subgenus Talpa and europaea species group. It is sister to I" aquitania. In the past, it was frequently synonymized with 7. caeca . In Cantabria, 1 occidentalis 1s marginally sympatric with 1 aquitamia. Sympatric populations of 77 occidentalis are smaller in size, presumably due to character displacement. Monotypic.

Distribution. Endemic to Iberian Peninsula where widespread in NW & W but absent in most of the E, Pyrenees, and Ebro Basin, also present on Cortegada (Galicia) tidal island.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 96-130 mm,tail 19-35 mm, hindfoot 14-18 mm; weight 34-66 g. Males (mean body mass 65 g) average 21-5% heavier than females (53-5 g). The Iberian Mole is similar to the European Mole (1. europaea ), except for its smaller size, relatively shorter snout, and broader front feet. Eyes are under skin. Pelage is black. An individual was found with white blotch on belly. Pelvis is of europaeoidal type (i.e. fourth sacral foramen closed posteriorly by bony bridge). Skull is small but rather robust, with relatively broad rostrum. Anteorbital foramen is small. Dental formula is 13/3,C1/1,P 4/4, M 3/3 (x2) = 44. Molars are more robust than in the European Mole. Two cases of a missing upper premolar were found in 61 skulls. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 34 and FN = 68.

Habitat. Variety of habitats with deep and moist soil year-round, including meadows, pastures, orchards, and poplar plantations, from sea level to elevations of ¢.2300 m. Iberian Moles are more common at higher elevations than in dry lowlands. Density can increase with irrigation.

Food and Feeding. Diet of the Iberian Mole is similar to that of the European Mole and includes earthworms ( Dendrobaena and Allolobophora ), mollusks (e.g. Arion), millipedes (Diplopoda), centipedes (Chilopoda), crickets ( Gryllidae ), caterpillars ( Lepidoptera ), and larvae of cockchafers ( Melolontha ) and stag beetles (Lucanus), both Coleoptera . Abundance of Iberian Moles is correlated positively with abundance of earthworms.

Breeding. Seasonal cycle of sexual activity of the Iberian Mole triggers increases in volume of ovaries and weight of uterus in females. Males develop swollen testes. During summer droughts (May—August), both sexes are reproductively quiescent. Breeding season starts in September—November and lasts until May. Females are pregnant in October—May and lactate in November—May. Gestation lasts 28 days, and numbers of embryos are 2-3/female. Neonates are 29-45 mm long and weigh 3-5 g. Their skin is reddish and hairless. They already display characteristic mole-type movements; however, they are smaller and less developed compared with the European Mole. Young Iberian Moles get short gray-black fur at 12-17 days old. For the first 27 days, young feed only on milk and do not leave the nest. Young start taking solid food at 27-33 days old and are weaned at c.1 month when they weigh 45 g. Total litter weight at weaning is 2-7times the weight of the female. Young are sexually mature in October-November. Sex reversal was documented in the Iberian Mole, with sterile XX males. Females are phenotypically hermaphrodites, with ovotestes instead of normal ovaries,just like other species of Talpa studied in this respect.

Activity patterns. Tunnels of Iberian Moles are 2:8.4-8 cm in diameter and 5-3— 12:5 cm deep. There are 2-18 molehills (8-24.8 cm in diameter) in 20 m®. Iberian Moles will share underground gallery networks with the Lusitanian Pine Vole (Microtus lusitanicus).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no specific information for this species, but the Iberian Mole is probably similar to the European Mole.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Marginal populations of Iberian Moles in arid regions are particularly susceptible to habitat alterations. Iberian moles are locally controlled as pests to agriculture.

Bibliography. Barrionuevo et al. (2004), van Cleef-Roders & van den Hoek Ostende (2001), Colangelo et al. (2010), Garcia-Lopez de Hierro et al. (2013), Jiménez, Alarcén et al. (1996), Jiménez, Burgos et al. (1990), Loy (1999a), Minarro et al. (2012), Niethammer (1990e), Prochel et al. (2008), Roman (2002b).

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. Endemic to Iberian Peninsula where widespread in NW & W but absent in most of the E, Pyrenees, and Ebro Basin, also present on Cortegada (Galicia) tidal island.