Talpa martinorum

Talpa martinorum is a species of small blind mole in the family Talpidae found in eastern Thrace along the western Black Sea coast in south-eastern Bulgaria and north-eastern Turkey, mainly in the Strandzha mountain range. In Bulgaria it is found in Strandzha Nature Park.
Taxonomy.
Individuals of this species were formerly classified as "T. caeca" or "T. levantis" until being classified as a new species. "T. martinorum" is not closely related to the other "Talpa" endemic to the Balkans, "T. stankovici." Rather, it is most closely related to the widespread "T. europaea" as well as "T. aquitania", and "T. occidentalis," both of which are endemic to western Europe"." Based on this, "T. martinorum" likely originated from an isolated population of a mole species that was also ancestral to "T. europaea", as is also considered to be the case for the origin of "T. aquitania" and "T. occidentalis". Fossil evidence shows that a mole species similar to the present "T. martinorum" lived in the region during the Pliocene, indicating that "T. martinorum" has persisted in its current territory for a long time.