91.

Flower’s Gerbil

Gerbillus floweri

French: Gerbille de Flower / German: Flower-Rennmaus / Spanish: Gerbillo de Flower

Taxonomy. Gerbillus flower: Thomas, 1919,

“Wadi Hareidin, extreme northern Sinai, a few miles south of Al Arish, about 31° N_, 34° L.,” Peypt.

D. J. Osborn and I. Helmy in 1980 considered G. flower: a subspecies of G. pyramidum, but, following D. M. Lay’s 1983 review, it is listed as a valid species by S. Aulagnier and colleagues in 2009 and by L.. Granjon in D. C. D. Happold’s 2013 treatise. A recent revision of the G. pyramidum species complex allowed A. Ndiaye and colleagues in 2016 to confirm the validity of G. floweri thanks to a mtDNA phylogeny. Moreover, accordingto these authors, G. perpallidus is ajunior synonym of G. flower . That opinion is followed here pending a full revision of the genus. Monotypic.

Distribution. Both sides of Nile Delta Valley and Sinai, N Egypt, and Negev and coastal plains of S Israel and Palestine.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 95-130 mm, tail 130-158 mm, ear 14-18 mm, hindfoot 31-38 mm; weight 26-63 g. Flower’s Gerbil is a medium-sized gerbil with hairy soles and a long bicolored tail (120-130% of head—body length) ending with a small tuft of gray hairs. Dorsal pelage is cinnamon to tawny with a very light dorsal stripe; ventral pelage is pure white, as are some spots around eyes and on limbs. Tympanic bullae are inflated and represent 29% oftotal length ofskull. Different karyotypes were reported with variable diploid numbers (2n varying between 50-52 and 64-66), while for G. perpallidus from Cairo (Egypt) 2n = 40, FN = 76.

Habitat. Sand dunes and palm plantations near cultures and in Acacia (Fabaceae) groves. Flower’s Gerbil has also been found in coastal sand dunes, and in sandy areas close to salt lakes generally covered by low scrubby vegetation.

Food and Feeding. Flower’s Gerbil feeds on colocynth ( Citrullus colocynthis, Cucurbitaceae) seeds.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Flower’s Gerbil is nocturnal and terrestrial. It digs burrows in sand, which are closed during the day.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Flower’s Gerbil may be found in quite high density in sand dunes of Sinai.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Flower’s Gerbil is commonin its distribution area.

Bibliography. Aniskin et al. (2006), Aulagnier et al. (2009), Granjon (2013d), Lay (1983), Ndiaye, Chevret et al. (2016), Ndiaye, Tatard et al. (2016), Osborn & Helmy (1980).