| Sandy blind mole-rat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Spalax arenarius on a Ukrainian coin issued in 2005 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Spalacidae |
| Genus: | Spalax |
| Species: | S. arenarius |
| Binomial name | |
| Spalax arenarius Reshetnik, 1939 | |
Thesandy blind mole-rat (Spalax arenarius) is anendangered species ofrodent in the familySpalacidae. It isendemic toUkraine.[2] It was first identified byEvdokia Reshetnik in 1939.[3]: 144
It is restricted to a very small region of southern Ukraine, on sandy habitats along the lowerDnieper River on theBlack Sea coastal plain. It inhabits moderately wet, sandy soils with low subterranean waters, insteppes dominated by absinth-grass or absinth-spurge, with sparse vegetation otherwise. It does not inhabit dryfeathergrass steppe or moving sands.[1]
Only about 15,000 to 20,000 mature individuals are thought to exist. The primary segment of the population inhabits theBlack Sea Biosphere Reserve, and is thought to have a stable population trend. However, populations outside of this protected area are thought to be declining. The primary threat to this species is habitat conversion by theafforestation of the sandy soils for stabilization and wood production.[1]
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