Gerbillus (Gerbillus) occiduus Lay 1975

Gerbillus (Gerbillus) occiduus Lay 1975, Fieldiana Zool., 65: 94.

Type Locality: Morocco, Aoreora, 80 km WSW Goulimine.

Vernacular Names: Occidental Gerbil.

Distribution: Coastal Morocco from south of Anti Atlas to Tarfaya (Aulagnier, in litt.; also see Aulagnier and Thevenot, 1986).

Conservation: IUCN – Critically Endangered.

Discussion: Subgenus Gerbillus . Lay (1983) noted that the karyotype of this Moroccan endemic was distinct from that of G. andersoni, and provided detailed morphological and chromosomal contrasts between G. occiduus and Moroccan G. hoogstraali and G. hesperinus . Pavlinov et al. (1990) included occiduus in G. pyramidum . Reviewed by Aulagnier and Thevenot (1986).