The Aquitanian mole (''Talpa aquitania'') is a species of small burrowing mammal of the family

Talpidae The family Talpidae () includes the moles (some of whom are called shrew moles and desmans) who are small insectivorous mammals of the order Eulipotyphla. Talpids are all digging animals to various degrees: moles are completely subterranean a ...

. It is found from the southwest of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

to the north of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Closely related to the

European mole The European mole (''Talpa europaea'') is a mammal of the order Eulipotyphla. It is also known as the common mole and the northern mole. This mole lives in a tunnel system, which it constantly extends. It uses these tunnels to hunt its prey. Un ...

(''T. europaea''), this species was described in 2017, and it is difficult to distinguish it from it.

Taxonomy

This species was described in 2017 by zoologists Violaine Nicolas, Jessica Martínez-Vargas and Jean-Pierre Hugot. Its specific epithet, ''aquitania'', means "

Aquitaine Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 January ...

", a former French region which is part of

New Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...

, where it is most abundant.

Distribution

It ranges from the southwestern region of

to the north of

. It is mainly distributed south and west of the

Loire River The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

, with the inverse being true for the European mole; however, this is not a strict barrier, as specimens of both species have been caught on opposite sides of the river from their main distribution, and thus they are likely

sympatric In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sh ...

in some areas.

Description

The Aquitanian mole is very similar to the

, a mole with a much wider range. It can be distinguished unambiguously from the European mole and the

Spanish mole The Spanish mole (''Talpa occidentalis'') is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is found in Spain and Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland i ...

(''T. occidentalis'') by the combination of the following characters: * the eyelids are fused; * the eyes are completely covered with a membrane, while the European Mole has its eyes open; * its head, body and hind legs are significantly larger in size; * its weight is also heavier; its weight varies from 72 to 106 g, the length of its head and body from 142 to 156 mm, its legs from 20 to 23 mm. In addition, there are differences from these two species: * at the dental level (M2 and M3 molars); * from a genetic point of view (cytochrome b gene).

References

Cited Sources

* (fr) Référence INPN : Talpa aquitania Nicolas, Martínez-Vargas & Hugot, 2017 (consulté le 22 janvier 2020)

Taxonomy

Distribution

Description

References

Cited Sources

Further reading