64.

Phillips’s Gerbil

Gerbilliscus phillipsi

French: Gerbille de Phillips / German: Phillips-Nacktsohlenrennmaus / Spanish: Gerbillo de Philip

Other common names: Namaqua Gerbil

Taxonomy. Gerbillus (Tatera) phillipsi de Winton, 1898,

Hanka Dadi, Somalia.

Gerbilliscus phillips, initially considered a subspecies of G. robustus, was regarded as a valid species by P. J. J. Bates in 1985 and 1988 and by I. Ya. Pavlinov in 1997 on account of its large size. Molecular study by L. Granjon and colleagues in 2012 confirmed its validity and found it to be sister taxon of G. robustus in the eastern clade containing also G. nigricaudus and G. validus . There is no information on chromosomes. Monotypic.

Distribution. Disjunct in Somalia, SW Ethiopia, and WC Kenya.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 116-145 mm, tail 162-185 mm, ear 17-21 mm, hindfoot 32-37 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. A medium-sized gerbil, Phillips's Gerbil has pale brown to orange-brown dorsal pelage and pure white venter. Tail is longer than body (128% of head-body length), bicolored pale orange-brown above and white below, and ends with some discrete black hairs not forming a pencil or tuft.

Habitat. Phillips’s Gerbil is found in dry Somali-Masai bushland and semi-desert, inhabiting treeless grasslands and thickets with heavy clay soils.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Phillips’s Gerbil is probably nocturnal and terrestrial, and digs burrOWS.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

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

Bibliography. Bates (1985, 1988), Granjon et al. (2012), Happold (2013a), Pavlinov (1997).