Mogera uchidai

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	EULIPOTYPHLA	TALPIDAE

Scientific Name:

Mogera uchidai

Species Authority:

(Abe, Shiraishi & Arai, 1991)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Ryukyu Mole, Senkaku Mole

Synonym/s:

Nesoscaptor uchidai Abe, Shiraishi & Arai, 1991

Taxonomic Notes:

Originally described as Nesoscaptor uchidai, but Motokawa et al. (2001) recognized a close relationship to Mogera insularis.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Data Deficient ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

Yasushi Yokohata

Reviewer/s:

Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Chanson, J. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)

Contributor/s:

Justification:
Listed as Data Deficient as it is known from only one specimen and there have been no recent surveys of the island to determine the range and ecology of the species and whether the introduced goats on the island are impacting the species.

History:

1996

–

Endangered

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known only from Uotsuri-jima, a small island (3.8 km²) in the Senkaku Archipelago, of the Ryukyus in Japan (Motokawa, et al. 2001). The island rises to 362 m asl.
Countries:	Native: Japan
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Only one specimen has been collected in 1979. However, there has been no recent survey work, and nobody has returned to the island to conduct surveys since 1991 when only a tunnel was found.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	The one specimen was collected from coastal grassland. Most of Uotsuri-jima is covered with subtropical forest dominated by Livistona chinensis, and there are cloud forests at higher elevations (Yokohata et al. 2003). It has only recently been described and very little is known about its ecology.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	In 1978 a pair of goats was introduced to Uotsuri-jima, since when this population has increased dramatically. The species could potentially be seriously threatened by habitat degradation due to the introduction and establishment of these feral goats on the island (Yokohata, 1999) which cause soil erosion by overgrazing.

Major Threat(s):

In 1978 a pair of goats was introduced to Uotsuri-jima, since when this population has increased dramatically. The species could potentially be seriously threatened by habitat degradation due to the introduction and establishment of these feral goats on the island (Yokohata, 1999) which cause soil erosion by overgrazing.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Survey work, and control of the introduced goats, are the most urgent priorities for this species. Unfortunately, international conflict arose between Taiwan, China and Japan over territorial claims to the Senkaku Islands during the 1970s, when rich mineral sources, mainly petroleum and natural gas, were discovered on the continental shelf surrounding the islands. This conflict has made it nearly impossible to conduct research into the goat problem on Uotsuri-jima (Yokohata et al., 2003). It is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) in the Japanese Red List (2007).

Conservation Actions:

Survey work, and control of the introduced goats, are the most urgent priorities for this species. Unfortunately, international conflict arose between Taiwan, China and Japan over territorial claims to the Senkaku Islands during the 1970s, when rich mineral sources, mainly petroleum and natural gas, were discovered on the continental shelf surrounding the islands. This conflict has made it nearly impossible to conduct research into the goat problem on Uotsuri-jima (Yokohata et al., 2003). It is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) in the Japanese Red List (2007).

Citation:	Yasushi Yokohata 2008. Mogera uchidai. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 19 June 2013.
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