Spalacidae

SpalacidaeGray, 1821

Hyväksytty nimi, Maailman nisäkkäiden luettelo 2005

This family contains species of fossorial and subterranean muroids arranged in the Myospalacinae (zokors, Eospalax and Myospalax), Rhizomyinae (bamboo rats, Cannomys and Rhizomys), Spalacinae (blind mole rats, Spalax), and Tachyoryctinae (African mole rats, Tachyoryctes). All extant species are characterized by extreme morphological, physiological, and behavioral specializations associated with subterranean life in tubular burrows (Gambaryan, 1960; Gambaryan and Gasc, 1993; Nevo et al., 2001; Tullberg, 1899). Although each subfamily can be readily diagnosed by unique traits (Carleton and Musser, 1984), and although molar occlusal patterns among living species are dissimilar, all share a comparable cranial and postcranial skeletal architecture integrated with a myological system that characterizes highly specialized fossorial rodents. Such a phenotypic resemblance was interpreted as phylogenetic relationship by Tullberg (1899), who placed ... [truncated]

• Wilson, D and Reeder, D. (eds.) 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 3rd ed. -- 2142 pp. Johns Hopkins University Press.