First record for a partial Isabelline colouration in a European mole, Talpa europaea, from Central Italy

Leonardo Brustenga

doi:10.1515/mammalia-2021-0116

Article

First record for a partial Isabelline colouration in a European mole, Talpa europaea, from Central Italy

Leonardo Brustenga

Published/Copyright: December 16, 2021

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From the journal Mammalia Volume 86 Issue 3

Abstract

The European mole Talpa europaea Linnaeus, 1758 is a quite common species in Central Italy. I report the first Isabelline individual of this species recorded in the scientific literature. Actually, this species is quite widespread throughout Europe, but coat-colouration anomalies have never been described in Central Italian mole populations. Further research is therefore needed to determine the percentage of occurrence of anomalous individuals and the evolutionary history of coat anomalies in moles.

[Correction added after online publication 16 December 2021: text in the abstract section “Actually, this species is quite widespread throughout Europe, but coat-colouration anomalies have never been described in Italian mole populations.” has been changed]

Keywords: coat-colouration; colour anomalies; Italy; Talpa europaea ; Talpidae

Corresponding author: Leonardo Brustenga, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia, Via del Giochetto, 06123 Perugia, Italy, E-mail: leonardobrustenga@libero.it

Correction note: Correction added after online publication December 16, 2021: article title published as “First Italian record for a partial Isabelline colouration in a European mole, Talpa europaea” has been updated.

Acknowledgments

I would like thank Dr. E. Mori for valuable advice, Dr. S. Praleskouskaya for helping with Figure 1, and L. Americani who picked the hiking trail that led to the finding.

Author contributions: L.B. conducted the study and the data collection himself and wrote all drafts.
Research funding: This research was conducted without funding.
Conflict of interest statement: The author declares no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
Ethical approval: All procedures performed in this study did not involve live animal handling and were in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments.

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Received: 2021-06-22

Accepted: 2021-10-26

Published Online: 2021-12-16

Published in Print: 2022-05-25

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2021-0116

Keywords for this article

coat-colouration; colour anomalies; Italy; Talpa europaea; Talpidae