Talpa (genus)

Taxobox
name = "Talpa"MSW3 Hutterer | pages = 307-309]

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image_width = 240px
image_caption = European Mole, ("Talpa europaea")
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Soricomorpha
familia = Talpidae
subfamilia = Talpinae
tribus = Talpini
genus = "Talpa"
genus_authority = Linnaeus, 1758
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =
* "Talpa altaica"
* "Talpa caeca"
* "Talpa caucasica"
* "Talpa europaea"
* "Talpa davidiana"
* "Talpa levantis"
* "Talpa occidentalis"
* "Talpa romana"
* "Talpa stankovici"

"Talpa" is a genus in the mole family Talpidae. Members of the genus are found primarily in Europe and western Asia. The common European Mole, found throughout most of Europe and Russia, is a member of this genus, as are several species restricted to small ranges. One, Père David's Mole, is critically endangered.

These moles eat worms, insects, and other invertebrates found in the soil.

The females of this genus have rudimentary male features such as Cowper's glands and a two-lobed prostate. A group of scientists suggests that they are true hermaphrodites;cite journal | author = Antonio Sánchez, Mónica Bullejos, Miguel Burgos, Concepción Hera, Costas Stamatopoulos, Rafael Díaz de la Guardia, Rafael Jiménez | title = Females of four mole species of genus "Talpa" (Insectivora, mammalia) are true hermaphrodites with ovotestes | journal = Molecular Reproduction and Development | volume = 44 | issue 3 | pages = 289–294 | date = 1998-12-07 | id = doi | id = 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2795(199607)44:3%3C289::AID-MRD2%3E3.0.CO;2-I | label = 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2795(199607)44:3<289::AID-MRD2>3.0.CO;2-I] however, others state that they are fully functional females.cite journal | author = Beolchini F, Rebecchi L, Capanna E, Bertolani R, | title = Female gonad of moles, genus "Talpa" (Insectivora, mammalia): ovary or ovotestis? | journal = J Exp Zool | date = 2000-06-01 | volume = 286 | issue = 1 | pages = 745–54 | url = http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10797327&dopt=Abstract | doi = 10.1002/(SICI)1097-010X(20000601)286:7<745::AID-JEZ9>3.0.CO;2-F | doilabel = 10.1002/(SICI)1097-010X(20000601)286:7745::AID-JEZ93.0.CO;2-F]

References