NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Kazakhstan Blind Mole Rat
Spalax uralensis Tiflov & Usov, 1939
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Kazakhstan blind mole-rat or Ural blind mole-rat (Spalax uralensis) is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae. It is endemic to Kazakhstan, along the Ural River basin and the flood plains of the Uil, Temir, and Emba rivers.
Whereas the species has an extent of occurrence of 392,195 km2, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has described S. uralensis as rare and its habitat prone to overgrazing. In 1993, Puzachenko's morphometric analysis demonstrated that the species was distinct from the giant blind mole-rat (S. giganteus).
Wikipedia contributors, Kazakhstan blind mole-rat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:42:17.191491+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Spalax uralensis Tiflov & Usov, 1939
- Name authority
- Tiflov & Usov, 1939
- Common name
- Kazakhstan Blind Mole Rat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Spalacidae
- Genus
- Spalax
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
- superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
- familySpalacidae Gray, 1821
- subfamilySpalacinae Gray, 1821
- genusSpalax Guldenstaedt, 1770
- speciesSpalax uralensis Tiflov & Usov, 1939
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Spalax. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy Blind Mole RatSpalax arenarius Reshetnik, 1939 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Giant Blind Mole RatSpalax giganteus Nehring, 1898 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Balkan Blind Mole RatSpalax graecus Nehring, 1898 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Judean Mountains Blind Mole RatSpalax judaei Nevo, Ivanitskaya & Beiles, 2001 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Greater Blind Mole RatSpalax microphthalmus Guldenstaedt, 1770 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Podolsk Blind Mole RatSpalax zemni (Erxleben, 1777) | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mt Carmel Blind Mole RatSpalax carmeli Nevo, Ivanitskaya & Beiles, 2001 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Middle East Blind Mole RatSpalax ehrenbergi Nehring, 1898 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Upper Galilee Mountains Blind Mole RatSpalax galili Nevo, Ivanitskaya & Beiles, 2001 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lesser Blind Mole RatSpalax leucodon Nordmann, 1840 | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nehring's Blind Mole RatSpalax nehringi (Satunin, 1898) | SpalacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=970566 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4YDZD. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.