79.

Petter’s Tateril

Taterillus petteri

French: Gerbille de Petter / German: Petter-Taterillus / Spanish: Gerbillo de Petter

Other common names: Petter's Gerbil

Taxonomy. Taterillus petteri Sicard, Tranier & Gautun, 1985,

near Oursi pond, Oudalan Province, Burkina Faso.

Taterillus petteri is characterized only by its peculiar chromosomal characters, which have been highlighted by various authors, among them G. Dobigny and colleagues in 2005, as allowing this group a fast and explosive genetic radiation. Monotypic.

Distribution. Recorded from SC Mali, N Burkina Faso, and SW Niger.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 101-135 mm, tail 125-166 mm, ear 17-21 mm, hindfoot 28-32 mm; weight 30-64 g. Sexual dimorphism present, with males larger than females. Petter’s Tateril, a medium-sized species, has pale orange to cinnamon dorsal pelage and pure white venter. Some white spots are visible on cheeks, behind ears, and above and below eyes. Tail is hairy, long (125% of head-body length), and ends with long pencil of dark hairs. Females bear four pairs of mammae. Karyotype 2n = 18/19.

Habitat. Petter’s Tateril lives in Sahelian savannas with annual rainfall of 300-500 mm. It is found in sandy soils in dunes, cultivated fields, and gardens.

Food and Feeding. Petter’s Tateril eats seeds, arthropods, and green vegetation, proportions varying with season.

Breeding. Reproduction may occur during the whole year but there is a maximum during the wet season and most of births occur in June to September months in northern Burkina. Litter size is 2-6 (average 3).

Activity patterns. Petter’s Tateril are terrestrial and nocturnal. They excavate different types of burrow according to season: simple and superficial during dry cool season; more complex, deep and with storage chamber during pre-estivation and estivation period (cool to hot dry season); and intermediate during breeding period (wet season).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In northern Burkina, Petter’s Tateril was found at densities of 0-50 ind/ha. Home ranges varied between seasons, from 1234 m* during breeding season to 2324 m? in pre-estivation period. The speciesis solitary and territorial except during breeding season, when territories of males overlap those of females.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Dobigny et al. (2005), Granjon & Duplantier (2009), Happold (2013a).