Talpa is a genus in the mole family Talpidae. Among the first taxa in science, Carolus Linnaeus used the Latin word for "mole", talpa, in his Regnum Animale to refer to the commonly known European form of mole. The group has since been expanded to include 13 extant species, found primarily in Europe and western Asia. The European mole, found throughout most of Europe, is a member of this genus, as are several species restricted to small ranges. One species, Père David's mole, is data deficient. These moles eat earthworms, insects, and other invertebrates found in the soil.
The females of this genus have rudimentary male features such as Cowper's glands and a two-lobed prostate. A group of scientists has suggested that they are true hermaphrodites; however, others state that they are fully functional females.
There are 14 species in this genus:
Altai mole, T. altaica
Aquitanian mole, T. aquitania
Blind mole, T. caeca
Caucasian mole, T. caucasica
Père David's mole, T. davidiana
European mole, T. europaea
T. hakkariensis
Levant mole, T. levantis
Martino's mole, T. martinorum
Spanish mole, T. occidentalis
Ognev's mole, T. ognevi
Roman mole, T. romana
Balkan mole, T. stankovici
Talysch mole, T. talyschensis
Talpa caucasico
Talpa hakkariensis
In addition, several extinct species are known from fossil remains, here the list: †Talpa tyrrhenica T. tyrrhenica †Talpa fossilis †Talpa praeglacialis †Talpa minor †Talpa vallesensis †Talpa episcopalis †Talpa gilothi †Talpa minuta †Talpa gracilis †Talpa neagui †Talpa tenuidentata †Talpa sansaniensis
The current phylogeny of the species in the genus is shown below: