114.

Rhoads’s Gerbil

Gerbillus pulvinatus

French: Gerbille a coussinets / German: Dschibuti-Rennmaus / Spanish: Gerbillo de Rhoads

Other common names: Cushioned Gerbil

Taxonomy. Gerbillus pulvinatus Rhoads, 1896,

Rusia, Lake Rudolf, Ethiopia. Taxonomic status and constitution of G. pulvinatus have been disputed by some authors, but D. M. Lay in 1983, G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005, D. C. D. Happold in 2013, and A. Monadjem and colleagues in 2015 considered it valid. Standard karyotype was provided by B. Hubert in 1978. Monotypic. Distribution. Djibouti, SW Ethiopia, and NW Kenya; it may occur in extreme SE South Sudan.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 86-105 mm,tail 118-145 mm, ear 10-16 mm, hindfoot 25-28 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 62, FN = 84. Rhoads’s Gerbil is a medium-sized to small gerbil with soles of hindfeet partly hairy. Dorsal pelage is sandy brown and ventral one pure white. Tail is long (140% of head-body length) and bicolored, with pencil of darker hairs visible at tip. Chin, throat, and feet are white.

Habitat. Arid regions of Somali-Masai savannas. Rhoads’s Gerbil has been captured in dry grasslands and sandy soils in Omo region of Ethiopia, while in Djibouti it was found among volcanic rocks covered with sparse bush and trees.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Rhoads'’s Gerbil is probably nocturnal, and terrestrial, digging burrows. Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Rhoads’s Gerbil may be abundant locally, and is found in the Omo National Park in south-west Ethiopia.

Bibliography. Happold (2013a), Hubert (1978b), Lay (1983), Monadjem et al. (2015), Musser & Carleton (2005), Pearch et al. (2001), Rhoads (1896), Yalden et al. (1996).