NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Blind Mole
Talpa caeca Savi, 1822
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.
Taxidermied blind mole (Talpa caeca) at the Cambridge University Museum of Zoology, England.
Emőke Dénes · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The blind mole (Talpa caeca), also known as the Mediterranean mole, is a mole found in the Mediterranean region. It is similar to the European mole, differing most prominently in having eyes covered with skin. It is found in Albania, France, Greece, Italy, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Turkey. It is typically carnivorous in nature. Individuals can grow up to 12 cm (4.5 in) in length.
Wikipedia contributors, Blind mole; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:49:42.456978+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Talpa caeca Savi, 1822
- Name authority
- Savi, 1822
- Common name
- Blind Mole
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Eulipotyphla
- Family
- Talpidae
- Genus
- Talpa
- 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
- orderEulipotyphla Waddell, Okada & Hasegawa, 1999
- familyTalpidae G. Fischer, 1814
- subfamilyTalpinae G. Fischer, 1814
- tribeTalpini G. Fischer, 1814
- genusTalpa Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesTalpa caeca Savi, 1822
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Talpa. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Altai MoleTalpa altaica Nikolsky, 1883 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Caucasian MoleTalpa caucasica Satunin, 1908 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Levant MoleTalpa levantis Thomas, 1906 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ognev's MoleTalpa ognevi Stroganov, 1944 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Talysch MoleTalpa talyschensis Vereschchagin, 1945 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Talpa transcaucasica Dahl, 1945 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| European MoleTalpa europaea Linnaeus, 1758 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Iberian MoleTalpa occidentalis Cabrera, 1907 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Roman MoleTalpa romana Thomas, 1902 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Balkan MoleTalpa stankovici V. Martino & E. Martino, 1931 | TalpidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Talpa caeca steini Grulich, 1971 Grulich, 1971 | synonym |
| Talpa caeca caeca Savi, 1822 Savi, 1822 | synonym |
| Talpa caeca hercegovinensis Bolkay, 1925 Bolkay, 1925 | synonym |
| Talpa caeca augustana Capolongo & Panasci, 1978 Capolongo & Panasci, 1978 | synonym |
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=633850 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.
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:54M2S. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.