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Penis morphology of two European mole species (Soricomorpha, Talpidae)

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Abstract

The penis of the recently described mole Talpa martinorum and its relative, the European mole Talpa europaea, are described and compared. Considerable differences in the morphology of the glans penis were found: the apical part is narrow and rod-like in T. martinorum and conical in T. europaea; the keratinous papillae covering the basal part of the glans are shorter and in fewer groups in T. martinorum than in T. europaea. The os penis is nearly 30 % longer in T. martinorum than in the other species. The corpora cavernosa in both mole species are well developed and uniformly organized from the base of the penis to its apical region. The urethra is dorsoventrally flattened and widened in the apical part. Seasonal development of the keratinous papillae is observed in both species: they are found only during the breeding season. This phenomenon has never been reported before in any mammalian group.

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Data availability

Data are available on request from the authors. The material (voucher specimens, slides) is preserved in the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, Bulgaria.

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Acknowledgements

This study is supported by the National Science Fund of the Republic of Bulgaria, grant No. КП-06-М21 − 8/18.12.2018. We are grateful to Jon Hall (New York, USA) for the linguistic improvement and to Georgi Popgeorgiev (National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, Bulgaria) for the useful advices on an earlier draft of the manuscript.

Funding

This study is supported by the National Science Fund of the Republic of Bulgaria, grant No. КП-06-М21 − 8/18.12.2018.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria

    Nedko Nedyalkov & Vladislav Vergilov

  2. Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria

    Boyan Zlatkov

Authors
  1. Nedko Nedyalkov
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  2. Vladislav Vergilov
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  3. Boyan Zlatkov
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All authors contributed equally to the design and performance of the study and writing of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Nedko Nedyalkov.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or living animals performed by any of the authors. All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Nedyalkov, N., Vergilov, V. & Zlatkov, B. Penis morphology of two European mole species (Soricomorpha, Talpidae). Biologia 76, 2519–2525 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-021-00738-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-021-00738-5

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