Which three genera are generally recognized as comprising the extant subfamily Myospalacinae?
Answer
Eospalax, Myospalax, and Tsintaoia.
The subfamily Myospalacinae, which encompasses the Zokors, is generally recognized by systematists as containing three primary extant genera. These three genera are Eospalax, Myospalax, and Tsintaoia. Research interest often centers on determining the precise evolutionary relationships, divergence timing, and splitting sequence among these three defined lineages, as they share a common, ancient ancestry within the Spalacidae family. Establishing these relationships is key to mapping the biogeographic history of the group.
Related Questions
How did modern molecular analyses change the taxonomic placement of Zokors relative to mole rats?Which three genera are generally recognized as comprising the extant subfamily Myospalacinae?What sensory modalities dominate the sensory world of functionally blind Zokors adapted to subterranean life?What anatomical modifications support the powerful digging required by Zokors?Why is reliance solely on external physical traits considered unreliable for determining deep evolutionary relationships among Zokors?What specific geographical features were found to correlate with genetic structuring in studies on the Siberian Zokor, Eospalax fontanierii?What potential issue arises when attempting to resolve recent Zokor splits using only mitochondrial DNA markers?When Zokor species exhibit high sympatry without strong resource partitioning, what mechanism must enforce reproductive isolation?What did comparative studies reveal regarding species like Myospalax psilurus and M. baileyi concerning morphology and genetics?Molecular clock estimates often date the resolution of genus-level relationships within the Zokor lineage back to which geological period or earlier?