Abstract
The penis of the recently described mole Talpa martinorum and its relative, the European mole Talpa europaea, are described and compared. Considerable differences in the morphology of the glans penis were found: the apical part is narrow and rod-like in T. martinorum and conical in T. europaea; the keratinous papillae covering the basal part of the glans are shorter and in fewer groups in T. martinorum than in T. europaea. The os penis is nearly 30 % longer in T. martinorum than in the other species. The corpora cavernosa in both mole species are well developed and uniformly organized from the base of the penis to its apical region. The urethra is dorsoventrally flattened and widened in the apical part. Seasonal development of the keratinous papillae is observed in both species: they are found only during the breeding season. This phenomenon has never been reported before in any mammalian group.
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