Psammomys vexillaris

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	RODENTIA	MURIDAE

Scientific Name:	Psammomys vexillaris
Species Authority:	Thomas, 1925
Common Name/s: English – Thin Sand Rat

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Data Deficient     ver 3.1
Year Published:	2008
Assessor/s:	Aulagnier, S., Granjon, L., Hutterer, R., Amori, G., Kryštufek, B., Yigit, N., Mitsain, G. & Palomo, L.J.
Reviewer/s:	Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority) & Temple, H. (Global Mammal Assessment Team)
Justification: The taxonomic status of P. veillaris is unclear, which could imply a great variation in the size of the range. It is often confused with P. obesus. It is likely to be a valid species (R. Hutterer pers. comm. 2007), and with a relatively wide range and no know threats it may be shown to be a Least Concern species on future reassessment. However, currently there is a need to confirm its taxonomic status, range and habitat requirements to assess it beyond Data Deficient.
History:	2004 – Data Deficient 1996 – Lower Risk/least concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This North African species ranges from northeastern Algeria, through central Tunisia to northwestern Libya.
Countries:	Native: Algeria; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Tunisia
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The abundance of this species is unknown. It is often confused with Psammomys obesus.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species is found in areas with consolidated sands with sparse, halophil vegetation. It is associated with Chenopodiaceae.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):

There are no major threats to this species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:

There are no conservation measures in place; it is not known if the species is present in any protected areas. Further studies are needed into the taxonomy, distribution, abundance, reproduction and ecology of this species.

Bibliography [top]

IUCN. 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 5 October 2008).