66.

Southern Savanna Gerbil

Gerbilliscus validus

French: Gerbille de savane / German: Savannen-Nacktsohlenrennmaus / Spanish: Gerbillo de sabana meridional

Other common names: Savanna Gerbil

Taxonomy. Gerbillus validus Bocage, 1890,

Caconda, Quissange, Ambaca, Rio Cuan-do, Angola.

Gerbilliscus validus was considered a valid species by P. J. J. Bates in 1988, and morphometric analysis found it different from G. leucogaster. Molecular analysis by P. Colangelo and colleagues in 2005 showed G. validus as sister group of a G. kempir G. leucogaster clade. No chromosomal data are available. Monotypic.

Distribution. Angola, DR Congo, Uganda, Rwanda,Burundi, SE Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and N Zimbabwe; possible presence in Sudan, South Sudan, and Ethiopia has not yet been clarified.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 135-195 mm,tail 115-186 mm, ear 17-29 mm, hindfoot 30-39 mm; weight 90-160 g. Femalesare slightly smaller than males. The Southern Savanna Gerbil, a large gerbil, has dark brown dorsal pelage contrasting with pure white belly, and rather short tail (95% of head-body length) lacks pencil or tuft. Females bear three or four pairs of mammae.

Habitat. Well-drained sandy soils in grasslands or floodplains, fallow lands, and dry river valleys.

Food and Feeding. Like all its congeners, the Southern Savanna Gerbil 1s omnivorous, its diet including herbivorous component and some insects.

Breeding. Reproduction seems to occur during wet seasons (twice per year), with 3-4 embryos per female.

Activity patterns. Southern Savanna Gerbils are nocturnal and terrestrial. They dig complex burrows at 45-60 cm depth, with a chamber, tunnels, and multiple entrances. During daytime they stay in their burrows, which are interconnected by surface runways.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Southern Savanna Gerbils live in small groups and share burrows.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red Lust.

Bibliography. Bates (1988), Colangelo et al. (2005), Happold (2013a).