''Spalax'' is a genus of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

in the family Spalacidae, subfamily ''

Spalacinae The blind mole-rats, also known as the fossorial or subterranean mole rats, are a subfamily (Spalacinae) of rodents in the family Spalacidae, found in eastern Europe and Western Asia, western & central Asia. The Hystricognathi, hystricognath mole ...

'' (blind mole-rats). It is one of two extant genera in the subfamily

, alongside ''

Nannospalax ''Nannospalax'' is a genus of rodent in the family Spalacidae, found in eastern Europe and western Asia. It is one of two genera in the blind mole-rats (subfamily Spalacinae), alongside ''Spalax''. Members of this genus are also known as small-bod ...

''.'''' Species in this genus are found in

eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

and western &

central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

. They are completely blind and have a subterranean lifestyle.

Taxonomy

Prior to 2013, ''Spalax'' was widely considered the only member of Spalacinae, with all blind mole-rat species being grouped within it. However, phylogenetic and morphological evidence supported some of the species within it forming a distinct lineage that diverged from the others during the

Late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...

, when a marine barrier formed between

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

and the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. These species were reclassified into the genus ''

'', making ''Spalax'' one of two extant spalacine genera.''''

Species of genus ''Spalax''

Mehely's blind mole-rat Mehely's blind mole-rat (''Spalax antiquus'') is an endangered species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Romania. Taxonomy Previously described in 1909 by Lajos Méhelÿ as a subspecies of the Balkan mole-rat (''S. graecus'' ...

'', S. antiquus'' *

Sandy blind mole-rat The sandy blind mole-rat (''Spalax arenarius'') is an endangered species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Ukraine. It was first identified by Evdokia Reshetnik in 1939. Distribution and habitat It is restricted to a very s ...

, ''S. arenarius'' *

Giant blind mole-rat The giant blind mole-rat (''Spalax giganteus'') is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae endemic to the North Caucasus region of Russia. It feeds on roots and tubers and lives underground in a burrow that it digs with its teeth. Distribu ...

, ''S. giganteus'' *

Bukovina blind mole-rat The Bukovina blind mole-rat or (erroneously) the Balkan blind mole-rat (''Spalax graecus'') is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae found in Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. Taxonomy The specific epithet ''graecus'', as well as the re ...

, ''S. graecus'' *

Oltenia blind mole-rat The Oltenia blind mole-rat (''Spalax istricus'') is a critically endangered, possibly extinct species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Romania. Taxonomy Previously described in 1909 by Lajos Méhelÿ as a subspecies of the ...

, ''S. istricus'' (possibly

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

) *

Greater blind mole-rat The greater blind mole-rat (''Spalax microphthalmus'') is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is found in Russia and Ukraine. Description The greater blind mole-rat is tailless. The eyes are covered by a membrane of skin and have at ...

, ''S. microphthalmus'' *

Kazakhstan blind mole-rat The Kazakhstan blind mole-rat or Ural blind mole-rat (''Spalax uralensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Kazakhstan, along the Ural River basin and the flood plains of the Uil, Temir, and Emba rivers. Wher ...

, ''S. uralensis'' *

Podolsk blind mole-rat The Podolsk blind mole-rat or Podolian mole-rat (''Spalax zemni'') is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to western and central Ukraine. Distribution and habitat It has a wide but severely fragmented range throughout U ...

, ''S. zemni''

Taxonomy

Species of genus ''Spalax''

References

Further reading