Japanese shrew mole

The Japanese shrew mole or himizu (ヒミズ) (Urotrichus talpoides) is a species of mammal in the family Talpidae. It is endemic to Japan and is found on Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Awaji Island, Shodo Island, Oki Islands, Tsushima Island, Goto Islands, Mishima Island (Yamaguchi Prefecture), and Awashima Island (Niigata Prefecture), but is absent from Hokkaido, which is north of Blakiston's Line. It is one of three Urotrichini and it is the only species in the genus Urotrichus. It is common between sea level and approximately 2,000 m.[2]

For the 2011 Japanese film, see Himizu (film).

Japanese shrew mole

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Eulipotyphla
Family: Talpidae
Genus: Urotrichus
Temminck, 1841
Species:
U. talpoides
Binomial name
Urotrichus talpoides
Temminck, 1841
Japanese shrew mole range

Heinrich Bürger, assistant of Philipp Franz von Siebold, collected specimens of Urotrichus talpoides near Dejima between 1824 and 1826, found lying dead in the fields, which were ultimately described by Temminck after shipping them to the Netherlands.[3]

Paleontology

Urotrichus talpoides is also known from the late Pleistocene of Japan, while U. giganteus is known from the Miocene of Austria, U. dolichochir from the Miocene of Germany and Slovakia, and an unidentified species from the Miocene of Greece.[4]

References
  1. Cassola, F. (2016). "Urotrichus talpoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T41489A22323186. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T41489A22323186.en.
  2. Insectivore Specialist Group (1996). "Urotrichus talpoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
  3. "Japanse spitsmuismol". Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Archived from the original on 2014-07-29. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
  4. "Urotrichus". fossilworks. Retrieved 2014-07-28.


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