Sandy blind mole-rat explained

The sandy blind mole-rat (Spalax arenarius) is an endangered species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Ukraine.[1] It was first identified by Evdokia Reshetnik in 1939.[2]

Distribution and habitat

It is restricted to a very small region of southern Ukraine, on sandy habitats along the lower Dnieper River on the Black Sea coastal plain. It inhabits moderately wet, sandy soils with low subterranean waters, in steppes dominated by absinth-grass or absinth-spurge, with sparse vegetation otherwise. It does not inhabit dry feathergrass steppe or moving sands.

Status

Only about 15,000 to 20,000 mature individuals are thought to exist. The primary segment of the population inhabits the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, and is thought to have a stable population trend. However, populations outside of this protected area are thought to be declining. The primary threat to this species is habitat conversion by the afforestation of the sandy soils for stabilization and wood production.

Notes and References

  1. Spalax arenarius Reshetnik, 1939. 1003797 . 2022-03-09.
  2. Korobchenko . Marina . Євдокія Решетник (1903–1996) — видатна постать в історії академічної зоології та екології в Україні . Proceedings of the National Museum of Natural History . December 2016 . 2016 . 14 . 136–146 . 19 July 2022 . Evdokia Reshetnyk (1903–1996) — An Outstanding Figure in the History of Academic Zoology and Ecology in Ukraine . . Kyiv, Ukraine . 10.15407/vnm.2016.14.136 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220312234628/http://museumkiev.org/public/visnyk/14_2016/VNM1415-korobchenko.pdf . 12 March 2022 . Ukrainian . 2219-7516 . 8173121205 . live.