Mole (animal) - Classification

Classification

The family Talpidae contains all the true moles and some of their close relatives. Desmans, which are Talpidae but are not normally called "moles", are not shown below, but belong to the subfamily Talpinae (note the slightly different name). Those species called "shrew moles" represent an intermediate form between the moles and their shrew ancestors, and as such may not be fully described by the article.

On the other hand, there is no monophyletic relation between the mole and the hedgehog, both of which were previously placed in the now abandoned order Insectivora. As a result, Soricomorpha ("shrew-like animals" including moles), previously within Insectivora, has been elevated to the level of an order.

• Subfamily Scalopinae: New World moles
  • Tribe Condylurini Star-nosed mole (North America)
    • Genus Condylura: Star-nosed mole (sole species)
  • Tribe Scalopini New World moles
    • Genus Parascalops: Hairy-tailed mole (northeastern North America)
    • Genus Scalopus: Eastern mole (North America)
    • Genus Scapanulus: Gansu mole (China)
    • Genus Scapanus: Western North American moles (four species)

• Subfamily Talpinae Old World moles, desmans (not shown), and shrew moles
  • Tribe Talpini: Old World moles
    • Genus Euroscaptor: Six Asian species
    • Genus Mogera Nine species from Japan, Korea, and Eastern China
    • Genus Parascaptor: White-tailed mole, southern Asia
    • Genus Scaptochirus: Short-faced mole, China
    • Genus Talpa Nine species, Europe and western Asia
  • Tribe Scaptonychini Long-tailed mole
    • Genus Scaptonyx: Long-tailed mole (China and Myanmar)
  • Tribe Urotrichini: Japanese shrew moles
    • Genus Dymecodon: True’s shrew mole
    • Genus Urotrichus: Japanese shrew mole
  • Tribe Neurotrichini New World shrew moles
    • Genus Neurotrichus: Shrew mole (American shrew mole, Pacific northwest USA, southwest British Columbia)
• Subfamily Uropsilinae: Asian shrew-like moles, (Chinese shrew moles)
  • Genus Uropsilus Four species in China, Bhutan, and Myanmar