''Condylura'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of moles that contains a single extant species, the
star-nosed mole ''(Condylura cristata)'' endemic to the northern parts of
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
. It is also the only living member of the tribe Condylurini.
While today endemic to
New World
The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
, fossil evidence suggests the genus was once much more widespread, with two named species (''C. kowalskii'' and ''C izabellae'') known from the
Pliocene of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
and an unnamed species from the Mid
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
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
.
''Condylura'' is classified along with other New World moles in the subfamily
Scalopinae by most authorities; however, more recent studies suggest that it occupies a much more basal position in
Talpidae, being sister to a clade comprising the fossil genus ''
Geotrypus'', all living
Talpinae, and all
Scalopini. The extinct genus ''
Eotalpa'' could potentially be a sister genus to it.
References
Mammal genera
Mammal genera with one living species
Talpidae
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