2021 Volume 61 Issue 1 Pages 29-37
The distributions of Mogera etigo and Mogera imaizumii were examined in two areas of the Echigo Plain, Niigata Prefecture. The first survey area was in the paddy fields of the southern region of the Kounan area, Niigata city. The second was in the paddy fields in the surroundings of central Gosen city. In the Kounan area, burrows of M. imaizumii were observed for the first time, but the distributions of M. etigo were reduced compared with those noted in the previous studies. These results suggest that M. etigo have disappeared in at least some regions of their previous range and/or have been displaced by M. imaizumii. In the eastern parts of Gosen city, the burrows of both moles were sympatrically observed. In contrast, the burrows of M. etigo found in the western regions were individually isolated. The isolated M. etigo might disappear if habitat alteration and/or competitive exclusion by M. imaizumii occurs.
