Scaptonyx fusicauda, Milne-Ed- wards in David, 1872

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 : 601-602

15.

Long-tailed Mole

Scaptonyx fusicauda

French: Taupe a longue queue / German: Langschwanzmaulwurf / Spanish: Topo de cola larga

Taxonomy. Scaptonyx fusicauda Milne-Ed- wards in David, 1872 ,

“frontieres du Koko- noor [= border of Qinghai],” China.

Widely used specific name fusicaudus has been changed because the original fusicauda 1s an invariable Latin name. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

S. f. fusicauda Milne-Edwards, 1872 — C China (Shaanxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, and N Guizhou).

S. faffinis Thomas, 1912 — SC China (extreme SE Qinghai, Yunnan, and S Guizhou); populations in N Myanmar (= Burma) and N Vietnam are tentatively included in this subspecies.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 72-90 mm, tail 26-45 mm, hindfoot 14-17 mm; weight 9-8-13-8 g. Tail of the Long-tailed Mole is 50-3-50-9% of head-body length in Sichuan and 37-41% in Yunnan. Body is small. Hindfootis slender, with long and compressed claws. There are no external ears. Fur is soft, and dorsum is dark gray-brown, with lighter gray venter. Tail is thick, slightly tapering from enlargement near base, and thinly and evenly clad with long projecting gray or pale brownish hair. The Long-tailed Mole has slightly broadened forefeet, with stout flattened fossorial claws. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 34 and FNa = 64 (FN = 68) in Yunnan and 2n = 34 and FN = 64 in Sichuan.

Habitat. Evergreen broad-leaved forests, shrubs, and near farm fields at elevations of 2000-4500 m.

Food and Feeding. [Long-tailed Moles forage underleaf litter and feed on ants,insects, earthworms, tender roots, and stems.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Long-tailed Mole is completely. It forms runways in surface litter and shallow burrows in friable soils.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Abramov et al. (2013), Hoffmann & Lunde (2008), Hutterer (2005a), Jiang Xuelong & Hoffmann (2013), Kawada, Li Song et al. (2008), Lunde et al. (2003), Motokawa et al. (2009).

Figures

1. Equivalent-teeth Shrew Mole (Uropsilus aequodonenia), 2. Anderson’s Shrew Mole (Uropsilus andersont), 3. Gracile Shrew Mole (Uropsilus gracilis), 4. Inquisitive Shrew Mole (Uropsilus investigator), 5. Chinese Shrew Mole (Uropsilus soricipes), 6. Snow Mountain Shrew Mole (Uropsilus nivatus), 7. Black-backed Shrew Mole (Uropsilus atronates), 8. Gansu Mole (Scapanulus oweni), 9. Hairy-tailed Mole (Parascalops breweri), 10. Coast Mole (Scapanus orarius), 11. Townsend’s Mole (Scapanus townsend), 12. Broad-footed Mole (Scapanus latimanus), 13. Mexican Mole (Scapanus anthonyi), 14. Eastern Mole (Scalopus aquaticus), 15. Long-tailed Mole (Scaptonyx fusicauda), 16. Japanese Shrew Mole (Urotrichus talpoides), 17. True’s Shrew Mole (Dymecodon pilirostris), 18. American Shrew Mole (Neurotrichus gibbsi), 19. Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata), 20. Russian Desman (Desmana moschata), 21. Pyrenean Desman (Galemys pyrenaicus)

Subspecies and Distribution. S. f. fusicauda Milne-Edwards, 1872 — C China (Shaanxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, and N Guizhou). S. faffinis Thomas, 1912 — SC China (extreme SE Qinghai, Yunnan, and S Guizhou); populations in N Myanmar (= Burma) and N Vietnam are tentatively included in this subspecies.