128.

Black-tufted Gerbil

Gerbillus famulus

French: Gerbille 4 touffe noire / German: Schwarzquasten-Rennmaus / Spanish: Gerbillo de penacho negro

Taxonomy. Gerbillus (“Hendecapleura”) famulus Yerbury & Thomas, 1895,

Lehej, Aden, S Yemen.

Gerbillus famulus exhibits a number of remarkable morphological features which were detailed by D. L. Harrison and P. J. J. Bates in 1991, and was recognized as valid by I. Ya. Pavlinov and colleagues in 1990 and by G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005. No genetic data are available. Monotypic.

Distribution. SW Yemen.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 86-105 mm, tail 128-150 mm, ear 15-19 mm, hindfoot 26-29 mm; weight 24-38 g. The Black-tufted Gerbil is a relatively large species with naked soles and large ears. Pelage is long and soft, and has grayish-fawn color on back, becoming more brown on cheeks and flanks, and pure white on ventral part, as well as on forelimbs and feet. Tail is relatively long (c.145% of head-body length), densely haired, and has well-developed tuft of black hairs.

Habitat. Rocky hills with low vegetation, Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae) bush or Acacia (Fabaceae) thicket, edges of cultivated fields, fallow fields and gardens.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Black-tufted Gerbil is nocturnal and terrestrial, and probably uses burrows of other rodent species.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Black-tufted Gerbil is thought to be social.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List because it may be locally abundant and no major threats are known. Geographical distribution is not well known.

Bibliography. Harrison & Bates (1991), Musser & Carleton (2005), Pavlinov etal. (1990), Sanborn & Hoogstraal (1953).