81.

Southern Mole Vole

Ellobius fuscocapillus

French: Campagnol du Baloutchistan / German: Stdlicher Mull-Lemming / Spanish: Topillo topo meridional

Other common names: Afghan Mole Vole, Quetta Mole Vole

Taxonomy. Georychus fuscocapillus Blyth, 1843, Quetta, Baluchistan Region, Pakistan.

Ellobius fuscocapillus is in the subgenus Af ganomys. Monotypic.

Distribution. NE & SE Iran, W, S & E Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and very marginally in W Pakistan (Balochistan).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 98-141 mm (males) and 100-145 mm (females), tail 9:-1-19 mm (males) and 9-20 mm (females); weight 34-61 g (males) and 37-101 g (females). Females are slightly larger. The Southern Mole Vole is very similar to the Transcaucasian Mole Vole (FE. lutescens), but on average,it is larger and lighter. It is the largest species of Ellobius . Vestigial ear is 2-3 mm high. Fur is short, soft, and velvety, light yellowish brown to bufty gray on back and light gray on sides and belly. Some individuals are rustier, and others are pale yellow. Behind nasal pad and on forehead, pelage is shorter and decidedly darker, contrasting back and bright buff cheeks. This area is dark brown to blackish brown, lighter in winter and darker in summer. Subadults are lighter. Tail is brown, darker dorsally, and densely covered with hairs. Skull shows modifications for fossorial life. Zygomatic arches are widely expanded, sagittal and lambda crests are present in adult individuals, and incisive foramen is very short. Interparietal bone is missing. Mandible is powerful, with prominent alveolar process. Incisors are white, long, and markedly fossorial. They are exposed in front of the mouth even when lips are closed. Molars are rooted, with simple pattern of broadly confluent dentalfields and without cement in reentrant loops.

Habitat. Open habitats with at least some grassy vegetation, frequently shaded with Ephedra (Ephedraceae) shrubs and junipers ( Cupressaceae), at elevations of 300-2600 m. The Southern Mole Vole can tolerate gravelly or stony substrate but avoids flooded areas, steep rocky slopes, and moving sands. Valley bottoms and borders of cultivation with deep soil (loess or gravelly-clay) for digging are preferred.

Food and Feeding. The Southern Mole Vole digs tunnels to obtain plants for feeding. In Balochistan, diet largely consists of pulpy tubers of foxtail lilies ( Eremurus persicus, Asphodelaceae), garlic ( Allium, Amaryllidaceae), and tulip (7 Tulipa, Liliaceae), but rhizomes of grasses are important in Turkmenistan. Food is cached, and stores are 25-30 g. Feeding on the ground’s surface is very exceptional.

Breeding. In Turkmenistan, reproduction peaks in April-May. Females have 2-3 embryos, although counts up to five have been reported. Litters born in captivity had 1-4 young (mean 2-6).

Activity patterns. The Southern Mole Vole is primarily crepuscular and nocturnal. It is fossorial, spending most ofits time underground. During digging, it braces hindlegs against the wall of the tunnel and pushes forward with its blunt muzzle. Proodont incisors act as a drill to loosen soil that is pushed back beneath belly by forefeet. Soil excavated from burrows is pressed to the ground’s surface in mounds. Peak digging activity is April-May. In hard soil, the Southern Mole Vole can dig deep enough to conceal its body in 15-19 minutes. Velvety fur minimizes friction in narrow corridors and enables backward movements with equal effectiveness as forward movements. Tunnels are 4.4-6 cm in diameter. Main tunnels are 15-25 cm deep, and branching feeding tunnels are short and shallow (6-10 cm deep). Nests are constructed at greater depths (35-115 cm), frequently in wet soil. Caches are 20-50 cm deep. Southern Mole Voles regulate temperature and humidity in burrows by plugging and unplugging entrances—activities that occur any time, including during the day .

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Families of Southern Mole Voles occupy 25-80 m? that are 70-1500 m apart.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Area of occurrence of the Southern Mole Vole is ¢.500,000 km?.

Bibliography. Gharkheloo & Kivang (2003), Marinina (2005a), Niethammer (1970), Roberts (1997), Shenbrot & Krasnov (2005), Yakimenko & Marochkina (2016).