Spalax leucodon Nordmann 1840

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Spalacidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 907-926 : 907

Spalax leucodon Nordmann 1840

Spalax leucodon Nordmann 1840 , Demidoff Voy., Vol. 3: 34.

Type Locality: Ukraine, near Odessa.

Vernacular Names: Lesser Blind Mole Rat.

Synonyms: Spalax bulgaricus (Savic and Soldatovic 1984) ; Spalax dolbrogeae Miller 1903 ; Spalax ehiki Petrov 1991 ; Spalax epiroticus (Savic 1982) ; Spalax hellenicus Méhely 1909 ; Spalax hercegovinensis Méhely 1909 ; Spalax hungaricus Nehring 1898 ; Spalax ilici Petrov 1992 ; Spalax insularis Thomas 1917 ; Spalax intermedius Petrov 1992 ; Spalax makedonicus Soldatovic 1977 ; Spalax martinoi Petrov 1971 ; Spalax montanoserbicus Soldatovic 1977 ; Spalax montanosyrmiensis Soldatovic 1977 ; Spalax monticola Nehring 1898 ; Spalax ovchepolensis Soldatovic 1977 ; Spalax peloponnesiacus Ondrias 1966 ; Spalax petrovi Petrov 1992 ; Spalax rhodopiensis (Savic and Soldastovic 1984) ; Spalax serbicus Méhely 1909 ; Spalax sofiensis (Savic and Soldatovic 1984) ; Spalax srebarnensis (Savic and Soldatovic 1984) ; Spalax strumiciensis Soldatovic 1977 ; Spalax syrmiensis Méhely 1909 ; Spalax thermaicus Hinton 1920 ; Spalax thessalicus Ondrias 1966 ; Spalax thracius (Savic 1982) ; Spalax tranensis (Savic and Soldatovic 1984) ; Spalax transsylvanicus Méhely 1909 ; Spalax turcicus Méhely 1913 .

Distribution: From E and S Hungary through Balkan region (see Petrov, 1992), Greece (including Samothraki Isl off coast of SE Thracian Greece; Vohralík and Sofianidou, 1992 a), Romania, and Bulgaria to NW Turkey (Thrace and possibly Marmara; see Kryštufek and Vohralík, 2001), to SW Ukraine just east of Dnestr River in Odessa region (see Gromov and Erbajeva, 1995; Mitchell-Jones et al., 1999; Savič, 1982 b; Vorontsov, 1977 b).

Conservation: IUCN - Vulnerable as Nannospalax leucodon .

Discussion: Morphologically characterized by Topachevskii (1969) and now viewed as another superspecies based on chromosomal studies ( Giagia et al., 1982; Ivanitskaya et al., 1997; Peshev, 1983; Savič, 1982 b; Savič and Nevo, 1990; Savič and Soldatovič, 1977, 1979). More than 20 chromosomal forms have been uncovered (2n ranging from 38 to 62, FN between 74 and 96 (summarized in Mitchell-Jones et al., 1999, and Nevo et al., 2001). Savič (1982 b) delineated six clusters that he interpreted as chromosomal species: leucodon group (with hungaricus , montanosyrmiensis , monticola , and transsylvanicus ), makedonicus group, strumiciensis group (with ovchepolensis and serbicus ), epiroticus (with hellenicus ), turcicus group (with thracius ), and montanoserbicus group (with hercegovinensis and syrmiensis ). Morphological and biometric analyses by Kivanç (see reference in Savič and Nevo, 1990) indicated that S. leucodon occurs in most of Turkey (subspecies anatolicus , armeniacus , cilicicus , nehringi , and turcicus ) and that S. ehrenbergi extends into SW Turkey (subspecies intermedius and kirgisorum ). Savič and Nevo (1990) skeptically viewed these results and urged elucidation using chromosomal evidence. Mikes et al. (1982) analysed the pelvis of S. leucodon in the context of assessing sexual dimorphism and taxonomic differences.

Currently, most researchers view the S. leucodon superspecies as embracing S. nehringi , whether occurring only in N Turkey ( Pamukoglu and Albayrak, 1996) or throughout most of the country ( Butler et al., 1993; Nevo et al., 1994 a, b, 1995, 2001; Savič and Nevo, 1990; Sözen et al., 1999; Suzuki et al., 1996 a). Biochemical and chromosomal data do not support the conspecificity of S. leucodon and S. nehringi ( Vorontsov et al., 1977 b, and references therein), although specific limits of each are unresolved ( Mitchell-Jones et al., 1999). We retain the two entities as separate, while acknowledging that each may represent a complex of allopatric or parapatric species and eventually lose their current geographic identity. Comprehensive taxonomic revision is needed to unravel relationships among populations of the two purported superspecies and to meaningfully delineate species boundaries. Chromosomal data from Macedonian samples and comparisons with other Macedonian populations documented by Zima et al. (1997 a). See account of S. nehringi . Pleistocene occurrences of S. leucodon in Europe are summarized by Kowalski (2001).