113.

Principal Gerbil

Gerbillus principulus

French: Gerbille du Meidob / German: Jebel-Meidob-Rennmaus / Spanish: Gerbillo principal

Taxonomy. Dipodillus principulus Thomas & Hinton, 1923, El Malha, Jebel Meidob, Sudan .

Taxonomic status of G. principulus is uncertain: it was treated as a valid species by D. M. Lay in 1983 and I. Ya. Pavlinov and colleagues in 1990, whereas both D. C. D. Happold in 2013 and A. Monadjem and colleagues in 2015 did not consider it. No morphological or genetic arguments have been made, however, to declare the species incertaesedis or to favor synonymization. Because it is poorly known, and pending a general revision of East African gerbils, present treatmentfollows G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton’s 2005 taxonomy. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from two localities separated by a few kilometers in W Sudan.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 73 mm,tail 115 mm, ear 11 mm, hindfoot 21 mm (holotype measurements). No specific data are available for body weight. The Principal Gerbil is a medium-sized gerbil with bright sandy-buffy dorsal pelage, white patches behind eye and ear, and white forefeet and hindfeet, the hindfeet with naked soles. Tail is very long (157% of head-body length), bicolored, and ending with marked pencil of brown hairs. It has large and inflated tympanic bullae (38% of maximum length of skull).

Habitat. Arid climate where Sahara meets Sahelian savannas.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Principal Gerbil is probably nocturnal and terrestrial.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red Last.

Bibliography. Happold (2013a), Lay (1983), Monadjem et al. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005), Pavlinov et al. (1990), Thomas & Hinton (1923a).