109.

Mauritanian Gerbil

Gerbillus mauritaniae

French: Gerbille de Mauritanie / German: Mauretanien-Rennmaus / Spanish: Gerbillo de Mauritania

Taxonomy. Monodia mauritaniae Heim de Balsac, 1943,

south of Archane Titarek, Aouker Region, Mauritania.

Gerbillus mauritaniae is the type species of the genus Monodia, created by H.Heim de Balsac in 1943, but validity of that genus was contested by various authors and Mono- dia was finally subsumed into genus Gerbil- lus. Furthermore, owing to lack of relevant knowledge, species status of G. mauritaniae is disputed, and many authors, including L. Granjon and J. M. Duplantier in 2009, suggest that it is a synonym of G. nancillus. Following G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton’s 2005 taxonomy, however, it is currently retained as valid species pending further analyses and new arguments. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from type locality in S Mauritania.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 55 mm,tail 75 mm, hindfoot 15 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Mauritanian Gerbil is one of the pygmy gerbils of West Africa. Dorsal pelage has sandy color and ventral pelage is white; soles are naked. Tympanic bullae are small and poorly inflated. It is characterized by a bilaminate M,. Tail is long (136% of head—body length), with some longer hairs at tip, but no pencil.

Habitat. Sand dunes ofarid zones (southern Sahara and edge of Sahelian region).

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Mauritanian Gerbils are probably nocturnal and terrestrial, digging burrows.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List, where it is considered a synonym of G. nancillus. Recent expeditionsin region of type locality failed to catch new specimens of the Mauritanian Gerbil.

Bibliography. Ba et al. (2001), Granjon & Duplantier (2009), Heim de Balsac (1943), Musser & Carleton (2005), Tranier & Julien-Laferriere (1990).