<i>Euroscaptor darwini</i> sp. nov., a new species of mole (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Talpidae) from the north-central mountains in Vietnam.

ABSTRACT: A new species of fossorial mole (Eulipotyphla, Talpidae, Euroscaptor) is described from Pu Luong Nature Reserve, north-central Vietnam, based on distinct genetic and morphological characteristics. The species inhabits a geographically small and isolated upland patch (900-1100 m a.s.l.), sharply bounded by a nearly vertical escarpment. The new taxon is diagnosed by an extremely reduced tail both externally and osteologically, comprising only six or seven caudal vertebrae, the lowest number documented in the genus to date. The species differs further from known congeners in Southeast Asia by its slender cranium, narrow rostrum, elongated inner zygomatic arches, and significantly smaller anterior dentition. Phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial Cyt b gene indicate genetic d

SUBMITTER: Nguyen ST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12534793 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature