134.

Somali Pygmy Gerbil

Microdillus peeli

French: Gerbille de Peel / German: Somalia-Zwergrennmaus / Spanish: Gerbillo de Somalia

Other common names: Peel's Pygmy Gerbil

Taxonomy. Gerbillus peeli de Winton, 1898,

“Eyk (4500 feet [= 1372 m],” Somalia.

O. Thomas created the genus Microdillus in 1910 to characterize small gerbils with short tail and with short square skull very convex in profile. This was accepted by all authors, and F. Petter in 1975 added a supplementary character in describing presence of four (instead of three) cusps on M”. As yet no genetic data are available. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from three localities at up to 1500 m in N & C Somalia.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 66-80 mm, tail 50-65 mm, ear 10-13 mm, hindfoot 16-19 mm; weight 13-14 g. A very small gerbil, the Somali Pygmy Gerbil has a very short (80% of head-body length) tail that lacks terminal pencil but looks, and may be, swollen and fatty. Dorsal pelage is long, shaggy, and of an orange-brown color, flanks are paler, and ventral part pure white. Some white hairs are visible on nose, chin, and throat. Limbs and feet are white, the soles of hindfeet bare. Large and inflated auditory bullae represent about 38% oftotal length ofskull.

Habitat. Sandy habitats and hilly country in very arid part of Somali-Masai savanna region.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Somali Pygmy Gerbil is nocturnal and terrestrial, probably digging burrows or resting by day under rock crevices.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List because there are no known threats to this species orits habitats. It is probably a rare species.

Bibliography. Happold (2013a), Monadjem et al. (2015), Petter (1975a), Thomas (1910c).