Flowers gerbil
| Flowers gerbil | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Gerbillus floweri | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1919 |
Flowers gerbil ( Gerbillus floweri ) is a rodent species from the subfamily of gerbils (Gerbillinae). It occurs in the Nile Delta , on the Sinai Peninsula and in Palestine . The type epithet honors the British zoologist Stanley Smyth Flower .
features
Flowers gerbil reaches an average head-trunk length of 117 mm. The tail length is 140 to 158 mm, the hind foot length 33 to 36 mm, the ear length 15 to 17 mm and the weight between 48.9 and 63 g. The skull length is 32.6 to 35.4 mm and the skull width 18.1 to 19.4 mm. The total length of the upper row of teeth from the first molar tooth to the third molar tooth is 4.8 to 5.1 mm. The length of the tympanic membrane is 9.5 to 10.5 mm. The back fur is light cinnamon to yellow-brown. An indistinct dorsal stripe runs across the middle of the back. The back hair is gray at the base and sand-yellow-brown at the top. There is a white spot on the rump. The nasal region is white. The peritoneum and feet are pure white. The soles of the hind feet are hairy. The tail length is 120 to 130 percent of the head-trunk length. The top of the tail usually has no brownish or blackish hair. The tail tuft is inconspicuously dark in color. In front of the eyes (pre-orbital), behind the eyes (postorbital) and behind the ears (postauricular) there are protruding white spots.
Systematics
Gerbillus floweri was described as a separate species by Oldfield Thomas in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History in 1919 . In 1980 Flowers gerbil was classified as a subspecies of the Egyptian gerbil ( Gerbillus pyramidum ) by Dale James Osborn and Ibrahim Helmy . This was revised in 1983 by Douglas M. Lay , who considered Gerbillus floweri to be a potentially valid taxon .
habitat
Flowers gerbil is found in palm groves, near croplands, in wadis, and in sand dunes .
Way of life
Flowers gerbil inhabit the sand dunes in dense populations. It is nocturnal and a ground dweller. She digs extensive caves in the loose sand. The small entrance openings are covered with sand. In the caves camel dung and seeds of gourds ( Citrullus colocynthis found), so that suggested that this is part of the food supply.
status
In 1996 Flowers gerbil was classified by the IUCN in the critically endangered category , as it was assumed that the species was only found in the Terra typica Wadi Hareidin, 22.4 km south of Al Arish on the Sinai Peninsula, occurs. Chromosome analyzes showed, however, that the distribution area is much larger and so the status was changed to "not endangered" ( least concern ) in 2004 . The species is common and its population is stable.
literature
- Laurent Granjon: Gerbillus floweri In: David CD Happold: Mammals of Africa, Volume III: Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury Publishing, London, p. 307
- Arame Ndiaye, Caroline Tatard, William Stanley, Laurent Granjon: Taxonomic hypotheses regarding the genus Gerbillus (Rodentia, Muridae, Gerbillinae) based on molecular analyzes of museum specimens ZooKeys 566: 145–155 (18 Feb 2016) doi : 10.3897 / zookeys.566.7317
Web links
- Gerbillus floweri inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017.1. Posted by: Schlitter, D., Amori, G., Hutterer, R., Aulagnier, S., 2008. Accessed June 19, 2017.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Oldfield Thomas: Two new gerbils from Sinai In: Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 9, Volume 3, 1919, pp. 559-660
- ^ DJ Osborn, I. Helmy: The contemporary land mammals of Egypt (including Sinai). Fieldiana Zoology, 1980, 1-579.
- ↑ DM Lay: Taxonomy of the genus Gerbillus (Rodentia: Gerbillinae) with comments on the applications of generic and subgeneric names and an annoted list of species. Journal of Mammals 48, 1983: 329-354.