[2] Previously described in 1909 by Lajos Méhelÿ as a subspecies of the Balkan mole-rat (S. graecus), a 2013 morphological and phylogenetic analysis found it and the Oltenia blind mole-rat (S. istricus) to be distinct, well-defined species.

[3][4] The American Society of Mammalogists and IUCN Red List follow the results of this study.

It is thought to number between 3,550 and 3,800 mature individuals, and may have been extirpated from the southern and southeastern regions of the Transylvanian Plain.

The most important factor leading to its decline is deep tillage, which prevents the formation of suitable vegetation types and destroys the burrows of this species.

Climate change may also affect this species, as genetic and fossil evidence indicates that blind mole-rats were historically sensitive to climate fluctuations (prior fluctuations spurred diversification rather than extinction among mole-rats, but there are little to no dispersal capabilities left for mole-rats in the modern day in order to adapt to ongoing changes), but the extent and direction of this impact remains uncertain.