142.

Tristram’s Jird

Meriones tristrami

French: Mérione de Tristram / German: Tristram-Rennratte / Spanish: Gerbillo de Tristram

Taxonomy. Meriones tristrami Thomas, 1892,

Dead Sea region, Israel.

Sometimes treated within M. shaw, M. tristrami was promoted as a separate species following revision by G. B. Corbet in 1978 and I. Ya. Pavlinov and colleagues in 1990. Various local studies of morphology and karyology of this species revealed geographical variability, butit is still considered a valid species pending further studies. Monotypic.

Distribution. Turkey (Anatolia), Syria, Lebanon,Israel, Palestine, W Jordan, N Iraq, S Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and NW Iran.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 106-171 mm, tail 103-167 mm, ear 17-23 mm, hindfoot 29-40 mm; weight 42-130 g. Males are significantly larger than females. Tristram’s Jird is a large jird characterized by relatively short tail representing between 77% and 125% of head-body length. Tail ends with apoorly developed brush of darker hairs. Hindfootsoles are hairy except for distal portion. Dorsal pelage is pale grayish fawn to dull red brown, while venter is white. Females bear four pairs of nipples. Tympanic bullae are not much inflated, and represent ¢.33% of maximum length of skull. Genetic variation was reported for this species, with chromosomal complement 2n = 72 and FNa between 72 and 86.

Habitat. The habitat tolerance of Tristram’s Jird is wide, but its range is limited to lowland steppic areas receiving more than 100 mm annual rainfall. It needs soft, welldrained soils and avoids rocky areas. It has been recorded at 2000 m of altitude in Azerbaijan, 1550 m in Lebanon, 1600 m in Israel, and 1350 m in Turkey.

Food and Feeding. Diet consists of seeds, grains, leaves, and stems. In some studies Tristram’s Jird is described as a hoarder, storing food (up to 5 kg/nest) in winter, while some other studies found no evidence of food-storing.

Breeding. Breeding occurs throughout the year, with a peak in spring and summer (March-September). Litter size is 1-8 (average 3-6) young, but varies geographically with smallerlitters in the south. Gestation lasts for 25-29 days. Young are born naked and blind, and are weaned after three weeks.

Activity patterns. Tristram’s Jird is nocturnal and crepuscular. It is terrestrial, digging burrows in wide variety of soils. Burrows are constructed in sides of hillocks and have several entrances. Nest is ¢.20 cm in diameter and is decorated with vegetable material, shredded paper, or even other refuse. In Turkey, winter and summer burrows have different architectures: winter burrows are shallow, with 1-2 entrances and an expanded nest chamber (30-40 cm deep), while summer ones have 4-5 entrances and can reach 70 cm below surface.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Population density fluctuates between seasons, from 1-5-2 ind/ha to 45 ind/ha.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Tristram’s Jird is relatively common throughout its range.

Bibliography. Amr (2000), Bukhnikashvili & Kandaurov (2002), Corbet (1978), Harrison & Bates (1991), Krystufek & Vohralik (2009), Pavlinov et al. (1990), Qumsiyeh (1986), Yazdi & Adriaens (2013), Yigit & Colak (1998), Yigit et al. (1998b).