89.

Botta’s Gerbil

Gerbillus bottai

French: Gerbille de Botta / German: Botta-Rennmaus / Spanish: Gerbillo de Botta

Other common names: Botta’s Dipodil

Taxonomy. Gerbillus bottai Lataste, 1882,

Senaar, Sudan.

Gerbillus bottai was also placed in genus Dipodillus. F. Petter in 1975 retained it as a valid species, a treatment followed by D. M. Lay in 1983, D. C. D. Happold in 2013, G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005, and A. Monadjem and colleagues in 2015. No genetic data are yet available to support this taxonomic ranking. Monotypic.

Distribution. Between White Nile and Blue Nile rivers, S of Khartoum, Sudan.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 83-92 mm, tail 101-110 mm, ear 10-119 mm, hindfoot 19-21 mm; weight 19-26 g. Botta’s Gerbil is a small gerbil with sandy-brown dorsal pelage with some diffused black hairs. Flanks are paler than dorsal parts, and ventral pelage is pure white. Limbs are white, and soles of feet naked or very slightly hairy. Tail is long (125% of head-body length), with somewhat contrasting bicolored pattern and a poorly defined terminal pencil. Inflated tympanic bullae represent 33% of maximum length of skull.

Habitat. Cultivated fields close to the Nile River valley.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Botta’s Gerbil is nocturnal and terrestrial, digging burrows.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List. Botta’s Gerbil is considered quite rare; few preserved specimens are known.

Bibliography. Happold (2013a), Kock (1978a), Lay (1983), Monadjem et al. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005), Petter (1975a).