Talpa levantis Thomas, 1906

Kefelioğlu, Haluk, Kryštufek, Boris, Selçuk, Ahmet Yesari, Hutterer, Rainer & Astrin, Jonas J., 2020, Taxonomic revision of the Levant moles of Turkey (Mammalia: Talpidae), Bonn zoological Bulletin 69 (2), pp. 275-291 : 285-286

Talpa levantis Thomas, 1906

Diagnosis. Distinguishable from all other species of the genus Talpa by nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences ( Bannikova et al. 2015, Demırtaş et al. 2020).

Description. T. levantis is a smaller mole (H&B= 103– 149 mm, CbL= 28.6–33.5 mm) with eyelids sealed and the eyes covered by a transparent skin. External morphology shows no peculiarities. Skull is of average shape ( Kryštufek et al. 2018a): relative width (as a percentage of CbL) of rostrum over canines is 11.8–14.9% and width of rostrum over molars is 24.7–31.0%. The maxillary tooth-row is comparatively short (MxT%=35.6–38.9%). However, the 1 st upper molar has a parastyle, which shows heavy tooth-wear. The pelvis is of the caecoidal type, i.e., with the 4 th sacral foramen opened posteriorly ( Doğramacı 1989b). Diploid number of chromosomes is 2n = 34 and the fundamental number of autosomal arms is NFa = 64. All subspecies were karyotyped and no variation was reported (Sokolov & Tembotov 1989, Kefelioğlu & Gençoğlu 1996; Sevindik 2013, Selçuk & Kefelioğlu 2017).

Comparisons. T. levantis can be separated by morphological and karyological characteristics from other moles occupying Turkey ( Kefelioğlu & Gençoğlu 1996, Kryštufek & Vohralík 2001, Kryštufek et al. 2018a). T. ognevi is larger (CbL= 33.6–35.9 mm) and has a high- er diploid number (2n = 38; Selçuk & Kefelioğlu 2017). T. davidiana has a more robust skull with a comparatively wider rostrum; the breadth across canines accounts for 12.1–14.5% of the condylobasal length in T. levantis as opposed to 14.9–17.3% in T. davidiana . T. levantis is smaller than T. europaea from European Turkey (CbL=32.4–37.0 mm) and has eyelids grown together, while they are free in T. europaea . T. levantis has a parastyle on the 1 st upper molar while T. martinorum lacks it. Overall comparison of cranial shape in Turkish species of Talpa is summarised in Selçuk et al. (2017).

Distribution. Range embraces the coast and mountains in northern Turkey along the Sea of Marmara and the

Black Sea ( Fig. 1 ) and the Caucasus in Georgia, Armenia (as far south as Lake Sevan), and Russia (south of Kuban and Sulok rivers in Krasnodar, Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Ingushetia, Chechnya, and Dagestan; Sokolov & Tembotov 1989). A population in the Lake Van area is obviously an isolate ( Kryštufek & Motokawa 2018) .

Miscellaneous. Reviewed by Kryštufek & Motokawa (2018); Sokolov & Tembotov (1989) provided a detailed review of the Caucasian populations. We subsequently list three subspecies ( Fig. 6 ). The population from Lake Van was not assigned to any of them and requires a molecular screening.

Figures

Fig. 1. Sample locations of Talpa levantis and T. martinorum. Symbols: ○ Talpa levantis dogramacii ssp. nov.; ∆ T. levantis levantis; □ T. l. transcaucasica; ◊ T. levantis ssp.; ● T. martinorum. Symbols correspond to those in Fig. 1 and Table 1. Tentative range of Talpa levantis is shaded grey and tentative longitudinal ranges of lineages are shown by left-right arrows. Downwards arrows show contact points between the sublineages of Western (W1, W2) and Central (C1, C2) lineages. Population near Lake Van (pt. 74) is presumably an isolate of unknown genetic identity, known from a single locality. Bulgaria: 1–Kondolovo. Turkey: 2–Kırklareli, Dupnisa; 3–Tekirdağ, Çorlu; 4–İstanbul, Çatalca; 5–İstanbul, Bahçeköy, Belgrad Ormanı; 6–Çanakkale; 7–Kapıdağ, Balıkeşir; 8–Balıkesir, Manyas; 9–Balıkesir, Bandırma; 10–Bursa, Karacabey; 11–Bursa, Uludağ; 12–Bursa, Kirazlıyayla, Uludağ; 13–İstanbul, Mahmutşevketpaşa; 14–İstanbul, Şile; 15–İzmit; 16–İzmit, Kandıra; 17–Adapazarı, Kazımpaşa, Alandüzü köyü; 18–Düzce; 19–Bolu, Abant; 20–Kocaman forestry, half was between Akçakoca and Alaplı; 21–Bolu, Seben; 22–Bolu, Karadere; 23–Zonguldak, Uzungüney Köyü; 24–Zonguldak, Çaycuma; 25–Zonguldak, Alaplı; 26–between Zonguldak and Bolu; 27–Zongul- dak, between Sefercik and Filyos; 28–Tosya, Kastamonu; 29–Sinop, Abalı Köyü; 30–Sinop, Gerze; 31–Amasya; 32–Amasya, Tat- lıcak köyü; 33–Samsun, Bafra; 34–Samsun, Kızılırmak delta, Bafra; 35–Samsun, Erikli Köyü; 36–Samsun, Ondokuzmayıs, Der- eköy; 37–Taşova District, Borabay Lake; 38–Samsun, Karakavuk; 39–Samsun, İncesu Köyü; 40–Samsun; 41–Samsun, Kurupelit; 42–Samsun, Tekkeköy; 43–Samsun, 3 km south Çarşamba; 44–Ordu, Fatsa; 45–Ordu, Fatsa, Geyikçeli Köyü; 46–Ordu, Ulubey; 47–Ordu; 48–Giresun, Yavuzkemal; 49–Giresun, Batlama Deresi; 50–Giresun, Kümbet; 51–Giresun, Dereli; 52–Giresun; 53–Giresun, Ülper; 54–Trabzon, Mereyem Ana; 55–Giresun, Görele; 56–Ordu, Torul, Gümüşhane; 57–Trabzon, Maçka; 58–Tra- bzon, Maçka, Altındere; 59–Trabzon, Maçka, Sümela Manastırı; 60–Trabzon; 61–Trabzon, Khotz; 62–Trabzon, Özdil; 63–Trab- zon, Oymalıtepe; 64–Trabzon, Yomra; 65–Rize, Ovit, Ovit Yaylası; 66–Rize, Ardeşen; 67–Ayder, Ilicasi; 68–Artvin, Hopa, Sugö- renköyü; 69–Artvin, Hopa 8 km east; 70–Artvin; 71–Artvin, Ardanuç; 72–Artvin, Yalnızcamgecidi; 73–Ardahan, Çam Geçidi; 74–Bitlis, Tatvan, Lake Van.Armenia: 75–Margahovit; 76–Fioletovo. Russia: 77–Kabardino-Balkaria, Nalchik; 78–Adygea.

Fig. 6. Ventral cranium of subspecies of Talpa levantis. a. T. l. dogramacii ssp. nov. PMS 10650 (paratype; condylobasal length of skull = 30.2 mm). b. T. l. levantis PMS 10299 (31.3 mm). c. T. l. transcaucasica PMS 21658 (30.3 mm).