It is one of two extant genera in the subfamily Spalacinae, alongside Nannospalax.

[2] Species in this genus are found in eastern Europe and western & central Asia.

[4] Prior to 2013, Spalax was widely considered the only member of Spalacinae, with all blind mole-rat species being grouped within it.

However, phylogenetic and morphological evidence supported some of the species within it forming a distinct lineage that diverged from the others during the Late Miocene, when a marine barrier formed between Anatolia and the Balkans.

These species were reclassified into the genus Nannospalax, making Spalax one of two extant spalacine genera.