143.

Dahl's Jird

Meriones dahli

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

Taxonomy. Meriones meridianus dahli Shidlovsky, 1962,

foothills of Vardanis (Saraibulak) Ridge, Sadarak steppe, Armenia.

Originally described as a subspecies of M. meridianus, M. dahli was shown by G. B. Corbet in 1978 to have a range geographically isolated from latter. It was then considered a valid species following morphological and genetic analysis by A. I. Dyatlov and L. A. Avanyan in 1987, who showed that the two taxa do not hybridize in captivity and had distinct biologies. Treatment of M. dahli as a distinct species was agreed

on by I. Ya. Pavlinov and colleagues in 1990, G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005, and B. Krystufek and V. Vohralik in 2009. No DNA sequences are available for this taxon. Turkish examples of M. dahli were found by Krystufek and Vohralik to be larger than Armenian ones; further study is required. Monotypic.

Distribution. Known only from Igdir Province of E Turkey and from extreme S Armenia; it possibly occurs in adjacent N Iran and Azerbaijan (Nakhchivan).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 102-135 mm, tail 107-134 mm, ear 13-16 mm, hindfoot 25-36 mm; weight 37-80 g. Females are slightly smaller than males, but this not tested statistically. Females had eight nipples. Dahl’s Jird is a small jird with morphology very similar to that of M. meridianus . It has dense and silky brown-gray dorsal pelage and white venter. Tail is of about same length as head—body,is hairy, and has terminal pencil of brown hairs. Hindfeet have very hairy soles. Tympanic bullae are moderately developed and represent around 40-42% oftotal length ofskull. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 50, FNa = 74.

Habitat. In Turkey, Dahl’s Jird is found in lowlands along Arak River at ¢.900 m altitude. In Armenia, it is recorded in sandy soils in alluvial valleys and foothills with grasses, tamarisks (7amarix, Tamaricaceae) and Calligonum shrubs ( Polygonaceae).

Food and Feeding. Dahl’s Jirds eat principally green vegetable matter and seeds. They may store seeds in their burrows.

Breeding. Reproduction is seasonal, with peak of births between spring and summer. Gestation period is 24-27 days and littersize is 2-7 (average 5-1); females produce 2-3 litters/year. Young are weaned at one month of age.

Activity patterns. Dahl’s Jirds are nocturnal, but are more active at dusk and later in evening. They are terrestrial, and dig burrows extending 3—4 m in length and with up to three entrances. Nest is situated 50-200 cm below surface of soil. More complex burrows are observed during winter.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In Turkey, Dahl’s Jirds live in colonies and neighboring burrows are 15-20 m apart. During night, they explore an area of 50-110 m around burrows.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Overgrazing and the cutting of bushes for firewood are threats for this species, which is found only in natural environments and is very rare. Its distributional area is fragmented and small, being ofless than 5000 km? Bibliography. Aulagnier et al. (2009), Corbet (1978), Dyatlov & Avanyan (1987), Ejgelis (1980), Krystufek & Vohralik (2009), Musser & Carleton (2005), Pavlinov et al. (1990), Yigit et al. (1997, 1998a).