23. Greater Blind Mole-rat Spalax microphthalmus French: Grand Spalax / German: Steppenblindmaus / Spanish: Rata topo ciega grande Other common names: Greater Mole-rat Taxonomy. Spalax microphthalmus Guldenstadt, 1770, Novokhoper Steppe, Voronezhskaya Oblast, Russia. All members of the genus Spalax have at some time been treated as synonyms or subspecies of S. microphthalmus. 1. Ya. Pavlinov and A. A. Lissovsky in 2012 treated S. microphthalmus as monotypic, but they noted the possibility that populations in the western part of its distribution may constitute a distinct subspecies. V. A. Topachevskii in 1969 suggested that Ciscaucasian populations might be a distinct subspecies; the appropriate name for this form would appear to be typhlus by P. S. Pallas in 1779. M. Korobchenko and I. Zagorodnyuk in 2009 questioned inclusion of typhlus in microphthalmus, suggesting that it has affinities with giganteus and warrants recognition as a distinct species. Pending further study, they provisionally treated it as a distinct subspecies within S. microphthalmus. Two subspecies recognized. Subspecies and Distribution. S.m.microphthalmusGuldenstadt,1770—EUkraineandSWRussia. S. m. typhlus Pallas, 1779 — Ciscaucasian Russia immediately E of the Sea of Azov. Descriptive notes. Head—body 190-315 mm, no visible external tail; weight 120-818 g. Male Greater Blind Mole-rats are larger than females. They are large and straw-graybrown, with lighter and grayer head and straw-brown venter. Roots of hairs are mouse gray, and individuals can have this color when tips of hairs are worn off. Small yellowish white patch may be present on forehead. Some specimens have white longitudinal stripe on head. Fringe of yellowish hair extends outward from nose toward ears. Juveniles are much grayer than adults. Thicker winter pelage is present from September to May orJune. Three pairs of nipples are present. Diploid numberis 2n = 60 or 62. Habitat. Flat steppes and forest steppes in the region between the Dniepr and Volga rivers, from roughly Mordovia southward into Ciscaucasia. Northern populations are fragmented. The Greater Blind Mole-rat prefers to dig in rich black soils and avoids loam and sand. It can be found in agricultural fields, melon plantations, gardens, orchards, and forests. Food and Feeding. The Greater Blind Mole-rat eats dandelion (7araxacum, Asteraceae), cow parsnip (Heracleum, Apiaceae), chicory (Cichorium, Asteraceae), and tree seedlings such as oak (Quercus, Fagaceae), mulberry (Morus, Moraceae), and acacia (Acacia, Fabaceae). A higher ratio of leaves and shoots are eaten in spring than later in the year when roots and bulbs are preferred. Accumulated winterstores of food can weigh c.10-14 kg. Breeding. Greater Blind Mole-rats breed once a year. Females give birth to 2-5 young in late February to early May. Females usually breed in their second year. Life span is 2-54 years. Activity patterns. Digging activities of Greater Blind Mole-rat are most pronounced in spring when food stores are depleted. They are active year-round, but in winter, they reduce activity, focusing in deeper areas. An individual traversing aboveground facing a threat will immediately begin to burrow. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Greater Blind Mole-rats are solitary; individuals may fight until one retreats or dies. Fighting usually involves bites to the face. Juveniles leave their mothers’ burrows and either create a separate adjacent burrow or disperse up to several hundred meters aboveground. Individuals of any age might travel aboveground in search of better locations for burrows, and males might travel aboveground in search of females. Burrow systems can take on a variety of shapes including almost linear, 1-2 central areas with feeding tunnels emerging as spokes, or more irregular arrangements. They vary widely in length but can be 100-450 m or more across. Feeding tunnels are 10-25 cm deep, and deeper chambers are found at depths of 120-320 cm. Upper and lower regions are connected by 2—4 vertical shafts. One or two nest chambers are present, and these are lined with grass and leaves. Usually 4-9 storerooms are present alongside multiple empty chambers. Multiple toilets are present, and these are sealed after filled. Mounds are variable in shape and size, with diameters of 20-240 cm (average 50 cm). They are located 1-2 m apart. A single individualis estimated to displace 0-2-0-3 m® of earth daily. Densities are 3-10 ind/ha and can be 20 ind/ha in good conditions but lower elsewhere. Populations do not usually exhibit extreme oscillations. Predators include the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo), the eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), the long-legged buzzard (Buteo rufinus), the Eurasian buzzard (Buteo buteo), the Caspian gull (Larus cachinnans), and carnivorous mammals such as mustelids. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Broadly speaking, the Greater Blind Mole-rat has a large distribution in which it is abundant and common. It is found in protected areas. Many populations, particularly in the northern part ofits distribution, may be threatened by habitat loss caused by agricultural practices. The Greater Blind Mole-rat can be an agricultural pest and is poisoned. It functions as an ecosystem engineer, affecting soil composition and plant communities. Its burrows are used by a variety of other animals such as small mammals and invertebrates. Bibliography. Corbet (1978), Ellerman & Morrison-Scott (1951), Gromov & Erbajeva (1995), Korobchenko & Zagorodnyuk (2009), Musser & Carleton (2005), Németh et al. (2016), Nevo (1999), Ognev (1947), Pallas (1779), Pavlinov & Lissovsky (2012), Puzachenko (2016c), Topachevskii (1969), Tsytsulina, Formozov, Zagorodnyuk & Sheftel (2008a).

Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Spalacidae, pp. 108-142 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 139, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6609100