Spalacinae

Middle East blind mole rat Spalax ehrenbergi, photographed by Bassem18.

Belongs within: Myomorpha.

The Spalacinae are the blind mole rats, burrowing rodents found in the Mediterranean region. Blind mole rats have small eyes that are covered with skin, and use their robust incisors rather than their feet for digging and their head, with the nose protected by a broad horny pad, for shifting soil (Vaughan et al. 2011).

<==Spalacinae [Spalacidae]
    |--Pliospalax Kormos 1932 P04
    |    |--P. compositidontus P04
    |    |--P. macoveii (Simionescu 1930) [incl. Spalax sotirisi De Bruijn, Dawson & Mein 1970] P04
    |    |--P. odessanus (Topacevsky 1969) P04
    |    `--P. tourkobounensis De Bruijn & Van der Meulen 1975 P04
    `--Spalax B74
         |--S. arenarius IT07
         |--S. ehrenbergi PS06
         |--S. giganteus IT07
         |--S. graecus IT07
         |--S. leucodon B74
         |--S. microphthalmus IT07
         |    |--S. m. microphthalmus BP87
         |    `--S. m. arenarius BP87
         |--S. typhlus T66
         `--S. zemni IT07

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B74] Bugge, J. 1974. The cephalic arterial system in insectivores, primates, rodents and lagomorphs, with special reference to the systematic classification. Acta Anatomica 87 (Suppl 62): 1-160.

[BP87] Burton, J. A., & B. Pearson. 1987. Collins Guide to the Rare Mammals of the World. Collins: London.

[IT07] Isaac, N. J. B., S. T. Turvey, B. Collen, C. Waterman & J. E. M. Baillie. 2007. Mammals on the EDGE: conservation priorities based on threat and phylogeny. PLoS One 2 (3): e296.

[PS06] Petersen, S. D., & D. T. Stewart. 2006. Phylogeography and conservation genetics of southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) from Nova Scotia. Journal of Mammalogy 87 (1): 153-160.

[P04] Popov, V. V. 2004. Pliocene small mammals (Mammalia, Lipotyphla, Chiroptera, Lagomorpha, Rodentia) from Muselievo (north Bulgaria). Geodiversitas 26 (3): 403-491.

[T66] Tristram, H. B. 1866. Report on the mammals of Palestine. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 84-93.

Vaughan, T. A., J. M. Ryan & N. J. Czaplewski. 2011. Mammalogy. Jones and Bartlett Learning.