''Urotrichus'' is a genus of talpid that contains a single living species, the

Japanese shrew mole The Japanese shrew mole (''Urotrichus talpoides'') or is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Japan and is found on Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Awaji Island, Shodo Island, Oki Islands, Tsushima Island, Goto Islands, Mis ...

''(Urotrichus talpoides)''. Two fossil species ('' Urotrichus dolichochir'' and '' Urotrichus giganeus'') are also known. ''Urotrichus talpoides'' is also known from the Late Pleistocene of Japan, while ''U. giganteus'' is known from the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

of Austria, ''U. dolichochir'' from the Miocene of Germany, Poland and Slovakia, and an unidentified species from the Miocene of Greece. The genus may be descended from the structurally-similar

species '' Tenuibrachiatum storchi'', which shares features such as a slender humerus and a missing lower incisor.

References

Talpidae Mammal genera Mammal genera with one living species Taxa named by Coenraad Jacob Temminck {{soricomorpha-stub