Partial albinism in the Japanese shrew mole, Urotrichus talpoides, from Aichi, Japan

We describe partial albinism (a white-belted coloration) in the Japanese shrew mole (Urotrichus talpoides) from Aichi Prefecture, Japan. This shrew-mole did not present symptoms of generalized types of vitiligo vulgaris. The white-belted coloration may have occurred because of a lack of melanocyte formation due to a deficit of or to abnormalities in neural crest cells during ontogeny.