Talpa davidiana (Milne-Edwards, 1884)

Aidek, Ahmad E., Ibrahim, Amir, Amr, Zuhair, Hutterer, Rainer, Kryštufek, Boris, Serra, Gianluca, Benda, Petr, Shkaky, Yesra, Barbanera, Filippo & Al-Sheikhly, Omar F., 2025, Checklist of Mammals of Syria, Zootaxa 5580 (1), pp. 1-130 : 61

47. Père David’s Mole, Talpa davidiana (Milne-Edwards, 1884)

(IUCN Red List: DD)

Distribution: Status uncertain. Found in Barn Owl ( Tyto alba ) pellets collected in a small cave below the castle ruins of Qal’at Salah ad-Din in Al-Shardoub Forest in western Syria on 30 June 1998 ( Benda & Obuch 2009) ( Fig. 53 ).

Remarks: The Barn Owl Tyto alba is a resident breeding species; the nesting period usually extends during summer in Syria. However, information on the species’ local migration is scarce as well as for other migratory owls.Although the owl pellets with T. davidiana remains may originate from a migratory owl, further investigation is needed.

Figures

FIGURE 53. Records of the Père David’s Mole Talpa davidiana (Milne-Edwards, 1884) in Syria.