Spalax
Spalax is a genus of rodent in the family Spalacidae, subfamily Spalacinae. It is one of two extant genera in the subfamily Spalacinae, alongside Nannospalax.''''
Species in this genus are found in Eastern Europe and Western & Central Asia. They are completely blind and have a subterranean lifestyle.
Taxonomy
Prior to 2013, Spalax was widely considered the only member of Spalacinae, with all blind mole-rat species being grouped within it. However, phylogenetic and morphological evidence supported some of the species within it forming a distinct lineage that diverged from the others during the Late Miocene, when a marine barrier formed between Anatolia and the Balkans. These species were reclassified into the genus Nannospalax, making Spalax one of two extant spalacine genera.''''Species
- Mehely's blind mole-rat, S. antiquus
- Sandy blind mole-rat, S. arenarius
- Giant blind mole-rat, S. giganteus
- Bukovina blind mole-rat, S. graecus
- Oltenia blind mole-rat, S. istricus
- Greater blind mole-rat, S. microphthalmus
- Kazakhstan blind mole-rat, S. uralensis
- Podolsk blind mole-rat, ''S. zemni''