90.

North African Gerbil

Gerbillus campestris

French: Gerbille des champs / German: Nordafrika-Rennmaus / Spanish: Gerbillo norteafricano

Other common names: Large North African Gerbil, North African Dipodil

Taxonomy. Gerbillus campestris Loche, 1867,

“le Sahara algérien pres de Guerrara dans les oasis.” Restricted by F. Lataste in 1881 to “environs de Philippeville (province de Constantine),” Algeria .

Gerbillus campestris includes many synonyms that were incorporated with successive revisions of the genus by D. M. Lay in 1983, I. Ya. Pavlinov and colleagues in 1990, and G. G.Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005. Morphometric revisions ofthe species’ variability were made by different authors, as well as from chromosomal studies. A molecular study by V. Nicolas and coworkers in 2014 concluded that the species is monophyletic and allowed confirmation of its geographical extension south of the Sahara. Monotypic.

Distribution. N Africa (Morocco to Egypt), with disjunct distribution in Sahara and sub-Saharan countries (N Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 99-112 mm, tail 118-153 mm, ear 15-20 mm, hindfoot 25-29 mm; weight 21-38 g. This is a small yellow to brown gerbil with a long tail (130-140% of head-body length), and with bare soles on hindfeet. Ventral pelage is white, well delineated from flanks. Tail is bicolored, and terminal half ends with adeveloped pencil. Skull bears relatively small tympanic bullae poorly inflated in the mastoid part (25% of maximum length ofskull), and there are short molar rows. Diploid number 2n = 56/58, FNa = 68.

Habitat. In coastal regions of North Africa, the North African Gerbil inhabits cultivated fields, consolidated river and “wadi” (ephemeral riverbeds) banks, stabilized dunes, palm groves, rocky hills and outcrops, cliffs, boulder habitats, and mud and stone houses with some element of vegetation. In arid areas of southern Sahara, and in Algeria,it is associated with rocky environments.

Food and Feeding. The North African Gerbil is granivorous; it prefers seeds, and also eats leaves, stems, and fruits, as well as insects.

Breeding. In Morocco, breeding occurs during February—July. In Sudan, reproduction takes place at the end ofthe rainy season. In Egypt, meanlitter size is 3-6, with mean of three, and reproduction occurs during winter rains orjust after the rainy season. One female in Mali bore three embryos, and another in Niger had four embryos.

Activity patterns. North African Gerbils are nocturnal and terrestrial. They rest during the day in shallow burrows or under rocks.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In 1992, population density in Morocco was estimated as ranging from 6-5 ind/ha to 51-5 ind/ha, and very few movements were noted between capture and recapture sites (distances 13-31 m). Home ranges of males and females overlapped only during the reproductive season.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The North African Gerbil is quite common and is considered an agricultural pest in North Africa.

Bibliography. Abiadh, Chétoui et al. (2010), Abiadh, Colangelo et al. (2010), Aulagnier &Thévenot (1986), Aulagnier et al. (2009), Benazzou & Zyadi (1990), Chétoui et al. (2002), Denys et al. (2015), Dobigny, Moulin et al. (2001), Dobigny, Nomao & Gautun (2002), Granjon & Duplantier (2009), Happold (1967b), Khidas (1993), Kowalski & Rzebik-Kowalska (1991), Lataste (1881a), Lay (1983), Lay et al. (1975), Le Berre (1990), Musser & Carleton (2005), Nicolas, Ndiaye et al. (2014), Pavlinov et al. (1990), Petter (1961c), Qumsiyeh & Schlitter (1991), Ranck (1968), Zyadi & Benazzou (1992).