Kingdom Animalia Class Mammalia Family Talpidae Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Order Eulipotyphla Genus Euroscaptor | |
Similar Assam mole shrew, Small‑toothed mole, Giant mole shrew | ||
Euroscaptor subanura is a species of talpine mole. It is found in Vietnam.
The new species was first identified in December 2008 in the foothills of the Tam Dao mountains in northern Vietnam. At the time of the formal description of the new species in 2012, only nine specimens had been collected, including three already held at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, but not previously identified as belonging to a new species. They were confirmed as a new species both from their unique appearance, and from karyotypic analysis.
The mole lives in deciduous forest among limestone hills between about 200 and 300 metres (660 and 980 ft) elevation. They construct large mole hills, and are thought to be similar to other talpine moles in their habits. They are small and slender moles, with a head-body length of 11 to 12 centimetres (4.3 to 4.7 in) and weighing 34 to 43 grams (1.2 to 1.5 oz). They have a slender, hairless, snout with many whisker-like protuberances around the nostrils. The tail is extremely short, only 4 to 5 millimetres (0.16 to 0.20 in) in length, and barely visible beyond the animal's fur. This remarkably short tail, said to "resemble a wart" in the original paper, is thought to be diagnostic for the species, and is the source of its scientific name, subanura, which means "almost tail-less".
The closest living relative of Euroscaptor subanura is thought to be the small-toothed mole of southern Vietnam.