Balochistan gerbil

Species of rodent

Balochistan gerbil

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification
Domain:  | Eukaryota
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Mammalia
Order:  | Rodentia
Family:  | Muridae
Genus:  | Gerbillus
Species:  |

G. nanus

Binomial name
Gerbillus nanus

Blanford, 1875

Synonyms

* Gerbillus quadrimaculatus
* Gerbillus vivax (partim)

The Balochistan gerbil or dwarf gerbil (Gerbillus nanus), is distributed mainly from Morocco across north Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, and western Asia. This is a common species with a wide distribution which faces no obvious threats, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".[1]

## Description

[edit]

The Balochistan gerbil is a medium-sized, slender species that somewhat resembles Wagner's gerbil (Dipodillus dasyurus). Its head-and-body length is between 140 and 235 mm (5.5 and 9.3 in) and its tail is between 80 and 145 mm (3.1 and 5.7 in). The upper parts are yellowish-brown, tinged with grey; this is because the individual hairs have grey bases. The flanks are less grey. The underparts and inside of the limbs are white, and there is a sharp line delineating the boundary between upper and lower parts. There are separate white patches above the eye and behind the ear, and a large white patch on the rump. The upper side of the tail is yellowish-brown near the base becoming greyer near the tip. The underside is white and the tip of the tail bears a boss of longer hairs, which are variable in colour, but usually grey.[2]

## Distribution and habitat

[edit]

The Balochistan gerbil has a very wide distribution across northern Africa, the Arabian peninsula and western Asia. Its range includes the northwestern region of Africa to the north of the Sahara, from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and the Sahel to the south of the desert, from Mauritania to Mali, Niger and Chad. A separate population is present in the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwestern India. The typical habitat of this gerbil is desert and semi-desert where it mostly occupies better vegetated locations such as wadi's, oases, and sand-clay basins and plains with relatively deep soils.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Shenbrot, G. (2016). "Gerbillus nanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T9136A22463551. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T9136A22463551.en. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
2. ^ Richard Hoath (2009). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt. American University in Cairo Press. p. 174\. ISBN 978-977-416-254-1.

* v
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Extant species of subfamily Gerbillinae

* Kingdom: Animalia
* Phylum: Chordate
* Class: Mammalia
* Superorder: Euarchontoglires
* Order: Rodentia
* Family: Muridae

Tribes Ammodillini, Desmodilliscini, Gerbillurini, Taterillini

| Ammodillini|

| Ammodillus|

* Ammodile (A. imbellis)

|

Desmodilliscini|

| Desmodilliscus|

* Pouched gerbil (D. braueri)

|

Pachyuromys|

* Fat-tailed gerbil (P. duprasi)

Gerbillurini|

| Desmodillus|

* Cape short-eared gerbil (D. auricularis)

|

Gerbilliscus|

* Cape gerbil (G. afra)
* Boehm's gerbil (G. boehmi)
* Highveld gerbil (G. brantsii)
* Guinean gerbil (G. guineae)
* Gorongoza gerbil (G. inclusus)
* Kemp's gerbil (G. kempi)
* Bushveld gerbil (G. leucogaster)
* black-tailed gerbil (G. nigricaudus)
* Phillips's gerbil (G. phillipsi)
* fringe-tailed gerbil (G. robustus)
* savanna gerbil (G. validus)

Gerbillurus|

* Hairy-footed gerbil (G. paeba)
* Namib brush-tailed gerbil (G. setzeri)
* dune hairy-footed gerbil (G. tytonis)
* bushy-tailed hairy-footed gerbil (G. vallinus)

Tatera|

* Indian gerbil (T. indica)

Taterillini|

| Taterillus|

* Robbins's tateril (T. arenarius)
* Congo gerbil (T. congicus)
* Emin's gerbil (T. emini)
* gracile tateril (T. gracilis)
* Harrington's gerbil (T. harringtoni)
* Lake Chad gerbil (T. lacustris)
* Petter's gerbil (T. petteri)
* Senegal gerbil (T. pygargus)
* Tranieri's tateril (T. tranieri)

|

Tribe Gerbillini

| Gerbillina|

| Dipodillus|

* Botta's gerbil (D. bottai)
* North African gerbil (D. campestris)
* Wagner's gerbil (D. dasyurus)
* Harwood's gerbil (D. harwoodi)
* James's gerbil (D. jamesi)
* Lowe's gerbil (D. lowei)
* Mackilligin's gerbil (D. mackilligini)
* greater short-tailed gerbil (D. maghrebi)
* rupicolous gerbil (D. rupicola)
* lesser short-tailed gerbil (D. simoni)
* Somalian gerbil (D. somalicus)
* Khartoum gerbil (D. stigmonyx)
* Kerkennah Islands gerbil (D. zakariai)

|

Gerbillus|

| Subgenus Hendecapleura:|

* Pleasant gerbil (G. amoenus)
* Brockman's gerbil (G. brockmani)
* black-tufted gerbil (G. famulus)
* Algerian gerbil (G. garamantis)
* Grobben's gerbil (G. grobbeni)
* pygmy gerbil (G. henleyi)
* Mauritanian gerbil (G. mauritaniae)
* Harrison's gerbil (G. mesopotamiae)
* Darfur gerbil (G. muriculus)
* Balochistan gerbil (G. nanus)
* large Aden gerbil (G. poecilops)
* principal gerbil (G. principulus)
* least gerbil (G. pusillus)
* sand gerbil (G. syrticus)
* vivacious gerbil (G. vivax)
* Gerbillus nanus and Gerbillus amoenus
* Waters's gerbil (G. watersi)

|

Subgenus Gerbillus:|

* Berbera gerbil (G. acticola)
* Agag gerbil (G. agag)
* Anderson's gerbil (G. andersoni)
* swarthy gerbil (G. aquilus)
* Burton's gerbil (G. burtoni)
* Cheesman's gerbil (G. cheesmani)
* Dongola gerbil (G. dongolanus)
* Dunn's gerbil (G. dunni)
* Flower's gerbil (G. floweri)
* lesser Egyptian gerbil (G. gerbillus)
* Indian hairy-footed gerbil (G. gleadowi)
* western gerbil (G. hesperinus)
* Hoogstraal's gerbil (G. hoogstraali)
* Lataste's gerbil (G. latastei)
* Sudan gerbil (G. nancillus)
* Nigerian gerbil (G. nigeriae)
* occidental gerbil (G. occiduus)
* pale gerbil (G. perpallidus)
* cushioned gerbil (G. pulvinatus)
* greater Egyptian gerbil (G. pyramidum)
* Rosalinda gerbil (G. rosalinda)
* Tarabul's gerbil (G. tarabuli)

Microdillus|

* Somali pygmy gerbil (M. peeli)

Rhombomyina|

| Brachiones|

* Przewalski's gerbil (B. przewalskii)

|

Meriones|

| Subgenus Meriones:|

* Tamarisk jird (M. tamariscinus)

|

Subgenus Parameriones:|

* Persian jird (M. persicus)
* king jird (M. rex)

Subgenus Pallasiomys:|

* Arabian jird (M. arimalius)
* Cheng's jird (M. chengi)
* Sundevall's jird (M. crassus)
* Dahl's jird (M. dahli)
* Moroccan jird (M. grandis)
* Libyan jird (M. libycus)
* midday jird (M. meridianus)
* Buxton's jird (M. sacramenti)
* Shaw's jird (M. shawi)
* Tristram's jird (M. tristrami)
* Mongolian jird (M. unguiculatus)
* Vinogradov's jird (M. vinogradovi)
* Zarudny's jird (M. zarudnyi)

Subgenus Cheliones:|

* Indian desert jird (M. hurrianae)

Psammomys|

* Sand rat (P. obesus)
* thin sand rat (P. vexillaris)

Rhombomys|

* Great gerbil (R. opimus)

incertae sedis|

| Sekeetamys|

* Bushy-tailed jird (S. calurus)

|

Taxon identifiers

Gerbillus nanus|

* Wikidata: Q1765950
* ADW: Gerbillus_nanus
* BOLD: 190943
* EoL: 1179732
* GBIF: 2437788
* iNaturalist: 44221
* IRMNG: 10234895
* ITIS: 632954
* IUCN: 9136
* MDD: 1002936
* MSW: 13001122
* NCBI: 298881
* Observation.org: 83573

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