Sekeetamys calurus (Thomas, 1892)

Amr, Zuhair S., Abu, Mohammad A., Qumsiyeh, Mazin & Eid, Ehab, 2018, Systematics, distribution and ecological analysis of rodents in Jordan, Zootaxa 4397 (1), pp. 1-94 : 56-57

Sekeetamys calurus (Thomas, 1892)

Common name: Bushy-tailed jird.

Diagnosis: Fur very soft and dense, color brown-yellowish dorsally, ventrally pure white. White patches behind ears distinct, while the white patches above the eye are quite indistinct. Tail with black bushy hair for more than half of its length, with a white tip in juveniles and some adults ( Figure 65 ). Palms and soles are naked. Four pairs of mammae. Skull with very large tympanic bullae, and with a broad braincase. Upper incisor with single groove anteriorly. Molars not cuspidate ( Figure 66 ).

Localities: Previous records. 34 km N ‘ Aqaba ( Atallah & Harrisaon, 1967) ; Wādī Fidān (Abu Dhayeh, 1988); Wādī Ramm (Abu Baker & Amr, 2004), Wādī Ramm (Sözen et al., 2007). New records. Jabal Masuda proposed protected area, Raḩmah, Petra (Disi & Hatough-Bouran, 1999) ( Figure 67 ).

Habitat: This species prefers to live around sandstone mountain slopes in arid regions. It is a good climber and perhaps lives under boulders. It was trapped from the sand stone deserts of Wādī Ramm in rocky slopes in association with the Asian garden dormouse, Eliomys melanurus and the eastern spiny mouse, Acomys dimidiatus , at elevations reaching 900 m asl. It was collected from similar habitats in Jabal Masuda near Petra.

Biology: The bushy-tailed jird is a nocturnal species with very little knowledge on its biology. Two specimens were found to be in breeding condition in February and March (Qumsiyeh, 1996). In captivity, we kept a colony of this jird for several years, with a maximum of four offspring per female. It was fed on seeds, fruits and vegetables. Vegetation observed near its burrows includes the wild fig, Ficus pseudo-sycomorus. Osborn & Helmy (1980) included many desert plants as part of its diet ( Zilla spinosa , Citrullus colocynthis etc.). It subsists on dry vegetation, seeds, and arthropods (Shargal et al., 1998). Remain of this jird were found in Vulpes cana fecal remains (Geffen et al., 1992). Haim (1996) suggested seasonal acclimatization of thermoregulatory mechanisms in the bushy-tailed Gerbil is induced partly due to changes in photoperiod.

Remarks: The bushy-tailed jird is an endemic species to the Red Sea coastal areas of Egypt and Sudan, Sinai, southern Jordan and Palestine and Arabia. The karyotype of a female specimen from Wādī Ramm was determined to be 2n:38, NFa:66 and NF:70 (Sözen et al., 2008).

Figures

FIGURE 65. The bushy-tailed jird, Sekeetamys calurus (photo by Mohammad Abu Baker).

FIGURE 66. A. Dorsal,B. Ventral, C. Lateral views of the skull, and D. Upper maxillary teeth for Sekeetamys calurus.

FIGURE 67. Distribution of the bushy-tailed jird, Sekeetamys calurus.