28.

Balkan Mole

Talpa stankovici

French: Taupe des Balkans / German: Balkan-Maulwurf / Spanish: Topo de los Balcanes

Other common names: Stankovich's Mole

Taxonomy. Talpa romana stankovici V. Martino & E. Martino, 1931,

“Magarevo Mts. [= Magarevo], Perister [= Pelister Mts], S. Serbia (Macedonia) [= Republic of Macedonia]. Alt. 1000 m.”

Talpa stankovici is in subgenus Talpa and europaea species group. Tlalpa stankovici was described as a subspecies of 1. romana and occasionally is still treated that way. Although both species have a wide rostrum and robust molars, they are not closely related. Relationships between 7. stankovic and other species of Talpa are not known with certainty; however, 7. stankovici might either hold a sister position with T. levantis or a basal position in a lineage of European species of Talpa. Two divergent phylogeographic lineages were reported from southern Greece, one from northern Peloponnese Peninsula and the other from Gravia (Phocis). These lineages do not have taxonomic names, and their geographical differences were not ascertained. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

T:s.stankoviciV.Martino&E.Martino,1931—WMacedoniaandadjacentNWGreeceMts.

T. s. montenegrina Krystufek, 1994 — restricted to coastal lowlands of S Montenegro and adjacent Albania. Also present in C & S Albania and W Greece as far S as N Peloponnese, also on Corfu I in the Ionian Sea, but subspecies involved not known.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 123-143 mm (males) and 121-129 mm (females), tail 29-42 mm (males) and 26-5-36 mm (females), hindfoot 17-1-19-3 mm (males) and 16-7-18-3 mm (females); weight 61-96 g (males) and 48-69 g (females); measurements of individuals from western Macedonia. Males average 20% heavier than females. Balkan Moles from hilly and mountainous landscape ofwestern Macedonia show little variability among populations, but those from coastal region of Montenegro are decidedly smaller (weight 35-51 g). The fur and tail are blackish, and feet are gray. Eyes are covered by skin. Pelvis is cecoidal. Sesamoidal os falciforme in front paw is less bowed in the Balkan Mole than in the Blind Mole (7. caeca) and the European Mole (1. europaea). Skull of the Balkan Mole has broad rostrum, and molars are large. Maxillary tooth row equals to 38:5—43-4% of condylo-basal length vs. less than 38:6% in the European Mole. Dental formulais 13/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 3/3 (x2) = 44. Incidences of oligodonties were not reported. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 34, FN = 66, and FNa = 62.

Habitat. Farmland, pastures, alpine meadows, road banks, sandy dunes, and woodlands of hardwood and conifers from close to sea level to elevations of¢.2300 m. Balkan Moles dig in hard soil in pastures of mat grass (Nardus stricta, Poaceae) and through dense roots of European blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus, Ericaceae). The Balkan Mole is broadly sympatric with Blind Mole, but the two are only exceptionally encountered on the same spot. The larger Balkan Mole is more common and abundant than the smaller Blind Mole. Co-occurrence with the European Mole is very exceptional.

Food and Feeding. Macroscopic examination of stomachs of Balkan Moles detected earthworms.

Breeding. Young Balkan Moles are supposedly born in February and early March, and a lactating female was captured in late April. Numbers of embryos are 2—4/female. Young weighing 30 g can move through galleries.

Activity patterns. The Balkan Mole burrows like other species of Talpa and excavates soil in characteristic molehills.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Bannikova, Zemlemerova, Colangelo et al. (2015), Bego et al. (2008), Colangelo et al. (2010), Krystufek (1987 1994, 1999c), Niethammer (1990c), Petrov (1992), Soldatovi¢ et al. (1986), Todorovi¢ et al. (1972), Tryfonopoulos et al. (2010).