On distribution, morphology and biology of the mole vole, ellobius lutescens thomas, 1897 (mammalia: rodentia) in eastern turkey

Ellobius lutescens reaches the western limit of its distribution in Turkey, and is confined there to a relatively small area in the eastern part of the country near the borders with Iran and Iraq, from where new records are provided (Hakkari: Yüksekova). The species lives in family groups and excavates underground tunnels by scratching the soil with the incisors and pushing the loosened soil behind the body with the fore and hind limbs. Mole Voles are vegetarian and forage in underground burrow systems. They feed primarily on large subterranean edible parts of plants. Both sexes have an apparently identical karyotype (2n = 17, NF = 34). The karyotype consists of 8 pairs of biarmed autosomes and a single small submetacentric chromosome. Both sexes have the chromosome constitution XO. Some biological and morphological peculiarities are discussed.