Nannospalax leucodon (Nordmann, 1840)

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Spalacidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 108-142 : 140

26.

Lesser Blind Mole-rat

Nannospalax leucodon

French: Spalax de Hongrie / German: \Westblindmaus / Spanish: Rata topo ciega pequena

Other common names: Lesser Mole-rat

Taxonomy. Spalax typhlus leucodon Nordmann, 1840 ,

near Odessa , Ukraine.

Nannospalax leucodon is included in subgenus Mesospalax . It represents a superspecies composed of a complex of allopatric and parapatric forms that are morphologically very similar but clearly represent distinct species. Numerous names have been applied to these various forms, many of which are nomen nuda or otherwise unavailable. V. A. Topachevskii in 1969 treated N. leucodon as a single species with two subspecies: leucodon from eastern Hungary, Romania, Moldovia, and Ukraine and monticola from Hungary and Bulgaria, southward to Greece and European Turkey. At the other extreme, I. Savi¢ and colleagues in 1984 recognized 13 species and ten additional subspecies, granting named status to all known cytotypes. Genetic diversity among populations of N. leucodon appears to be lower than what is observed within other species of Nannospalax , but to date, sampling has been restricted to the western part ofits distribution. Assessing species boundaries will probably require combining data on karyotypes with molecular phylogenetics because morphological data appear to be of limited use. Monotypic.

Distribution. E Hungary, SW Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, SE Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece (including NE Aegean Is of Samothrace and Lemnos), and European Turkey.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 150-240 mm, no visible external tail; weight 162-504 g. Male Lesser Blind Mole-rats are larger than females. Color varies but is typically brownish to gray, with tinge of yellow, ginger, or yellow-red. Anterior of head is less brown and more gray. Ridge of longer white to yellow hair extends from sides of nose toward ears. Venter is mostly gray. White or yellow spots are common in northern populations but less so in other regions such as Turkey. Upper incisors are yellow to orange; lower incisors are yellow or white. Populations in Turkey are smaller. There are six nipples: 1 pair of pectoral + 2 pairs of inguinal. At least 29 chromosomal forms are known, with diploid numbers of 2n = 38-62.

Habitat. Steppes, grasslands, meadows, and pastures from sea level to elevations up to 2400 m. Lesser Blind Mole-rats can be found in forest clearings, small fields adjacent to pasture, and orchards. They prefer deep, loose, and well-drained soil. They are usually absent in forest, wetlands, rocky areas, and heavily cultivated areas.

Food and Feeding. Lesser Blind Mole-rats feed primarily on bulbs, roots, and tubers, with supplements from green plant parts. Green plant matter is important for weaned juveniles and adults in late spring. Insects are also sometimes eaten. The Lesser Blind Mole-rat eats ¢.36:5% ofits body mass daily. Its energy budgetis 0-17 kcal/g/day except in winter when it increases to 0-22 kcal/g/day. Food caches of 6-20 kg have been reported.

Breeding. Pregnant female Lesser Blind Mole-rats are most commonly captured in March. Gestation is 30 days. Young are born in March-April and weigh 6-6-5 g. Litter size is usually 2—4 young, but 1-6 young have been recorded. Young are weaned after 2-2-5 months; young males weigh 137 g while females weigh 121 g by the end of May. Females start breeding in their second year. In captivity, females live up to 3-5 years, and males live 4-5 years.

Activity patterns. Activity of the Lesser Blind Mole-rat is polyphasic, with two peaks at 13:00-14:00 h and 01:00-02:00 h in some reports and three peaks at 11:00-13:00 h, 07:00-09:00 h, and 17:00-21:00 h in others.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Burrows of Lesser Blind Mole-rats have a main tunnel with secondary tunnels branching off. An individual digs c.1:7 m of tunnel daily, yielding 10 kg of excavated dirt. Total tunnel length is 65-195 m and spread over 194-1000 m?. Peripheral feeding tunnels are located at depths of 15-25 cm; deeper passages may reach 410 cm. Oval-shaped 28 x 18 x 16 cm nests are centrally located at depths of 25-50 cm; they are lined with grasses. Multiple food caches and toilet chambers are present. Mounds are located 21-30 m apart. Densities are usually 1-13 ind/ha, but 23 ind/ha have been recorded. Lesser Blind Mole-rats are solitary and aggressive toward conspecifics. Predators include the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), the Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis), the Ermine (M. erminea), the Steppe Polecat (M. eversmannii), domestic dog, domestic cat, the little owl (Athene noctua), the common barn-owl (7yto alba ), the northern long-eared owl (Asio otus), the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), the eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), the long-legged buzzard (Buteo rufinus), and the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica).

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List (as Spalax leucodon ). Species boundaries are poorly understood. Taken as a whole, the Lesser Blind Mole-rat is threatened by habitat loss due to agriculture, urbanization, and other development. The superspecies is found in protected areas, but several of the species in this complex are undoubtedly threatened, lack protection, and are in dire need of assessment as individual entities. For example, G. Csorba and colleagues in 2015 evaluated conservation status of the N. leucodon superspecies in the Carpathian Basin, treating forms therein as four distinct species. They proposed that N. ( leucodon ) transylvanicus from north-eastern Hungary and north-western Romania warrants a status of vulnerable because area of occupancy is no more than 120 km?, it is known from under ten localities, and habitat area, extent, and quality continue to decline. They assessed N. (l.) hungaricus from eastern Hungary and northern Serbia as endangered because extent of occurrence and area of occupancy is no more than 300 km?it is known from under five localities, more than 95% of the population is found at a single locality, and habitat area, extent, and quality continue to decline. They assessed N. (lL) montanosyrmiensis from southern Hungary and northern Serbia as critically endangered because extent of occurrence is no more than 100 km? area of occupancy is less than 10 km?, it is known from only three localities, these populations continue to decline, and habitat size and quality continue to decline. Finally, they assessed N. (l.) syrmiensis from western Hungary and northern Serbia as data deficient because it has not been recorded in 30 years and is likely extinct. Similar detailed assessment is needed for the rest of the geographic distribution.

Bibliography. Bego et al. (2014), Csorba et al. (2015), Hadid et al. (2012), Korobchenko & Zagorodnyuk (2009), Krystufek (1999b), Krystufek & Amori (2008), Krystufek & Vohralik (2009), Krystufek, Ivanitskaya et al. (2012), Musser & Carleton (2005), Németh, Hegyeli et al. (2016), Németh, Révay et al. (2009), Nevo et al. (2001), Ognev (1947), Savi¢ et al. (1984), Topachevskii (1969).

Figures

1. Altai Zokor (Myospalax myospalax), 2. Steppe Zokor (Myospalax aspalax), 3. Armand’s Zokor (Mpyospalax armandii), 4. Manchurian Zokor (Myospalax psilurus), 5. Khingan Zokor (Myospalax epsilanus), 6. Fontanier’s Zokor (FEospalax fontaniern), 7. Gansu Zokor (Fospalax cansus), 8. Qinling Zokor (Fospalax rufescens), 9. Plateau Zokor (FEospalax bailey), 10. Rothschild’s Zokor (Eospalax rothschildi), 11. Smith’s Zokor (Eospalax smithu), 12. Chinese Bamboo Rat (Rhizomys sinensis), 13. Hoary Bamboo Rat (Rhizomys pruinosus), 14. Indomalayan Bamboo Rat (Rhizomys sumatrensis), 15. Lesser Bamboo Rat (Cannomys badius), 16. African Root Rat (Tachyoryctes splendens), 17. Giant Root Rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus), 18. Oltenia Blind Mole-rat (Spalax istricus), 19. Mehely’s Blind Mole-rat (Spalax antiquus), 20. Bukovina Blind Mole-rat (Spalax graecus), 21. Podolsk Blind Mole-rat (Spalax zemni), 22. Sandy Blind Mole-rat (Spalax arenarius), 23. Greater Blind Mole-rat (Spalax microphthalmus), 24. Giant Blind Mole-rat (Spalax giganteus), 25. Kazakhstan Blind Mole-rat (Spalax uralensis), 26. Lesser Blind Mole-rat (Nannospalax leucodon), 27. Anatolian Blind Mole-rat (Nannospalax xanthodon), 28. Middle East Blind Mole-rat (Nannospalax ehrenbergi)

Distribution. E Hungary, SW Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, SE Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece (including NE Aegean Is of Samothrace and Lemnos), and European Turkey.