Evolution and Taxonomy of the Pleistocene North Asian Zokors, Genus Siphneus (Myospalacidae, Rodentia, Mammalia)

According to the concept proposed by the authors of dividing modern rootless zokors and their ancestral Pleistocene rootless forms into the genera Myospalax, Siphneus, and Eospalax, Manchurian and Daurian zokors were assigned to the genus Siphneus. In this paper details of the morphological differences of the genus Siphneus and analysis of the evolutionary lineages among the genus are presented. A new phylogenetic scheme is proposed, in which a new species S. tolaensis sp. nov. ancestral to the Daurian zokors is described on the basis of remains from the Nalaikha locality (Mongolia, late Early – early Middle Pleistocene).