Gazella bilkis

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	CETARTIODACTYLA	BOVIDAE

Scientific Name:

Gazella bilkis

Species Authority:

Groves & Lay, 1985

Common Name/s:

English	–	Queen Of Sheba's Gazelle, Yemen Gazelle
French	–	Gazelle Du Yemen
Spanish	–	Gacela De Yemen

Taxonomic Notes:

Some authors have considered this species as a subspecies of G. arabica (Groves 1996; Grubb 2005), although there is also some doubt over the taxonomic status of G. arabica. Current genetic research at King Khaled Wildlife Research Centre, Saudi Arabia, raises some doubts about the validity of the specific status of G. bilkis. Regardless, there is no doubt that the population originally described as G. bilkis is certainly now extinct, regardless of whether it was a species or a subspecies.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Extinct ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2008

Assessor/s

Participants at the 4th International Conservation Workshop for the Threatened Fauna of Arabia

Evaluator/s:

Mallon, D.P. (Antelope Red List Authority) & Hoffmann, M. (Global Mammal Assessment)

Justification:
The taxon is known only from five specimens collected in 1951 in the mountains near Ta’izz, where it was reportedly common at the time. There have been no subsequent specimens, sightings or reports, and the species is now considered Extinct.

History:

2003	–	Extinct (IUCN 2003)
2000	–	Extinct
1996	–	Critically Endangered (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species was described on the basis of five specimens collected in 1951 in mountains near Ta’izz. Localities included Wadi Maleh, Usaifira, and Jabal Zarba (Groves and Lay 1985; Greth et al. 1993).
Countries:	Regionally extinct: Yemen

Population [top]

Population:	The population was described as very common in 1951, but there have been no records since the 1950s and the species is now believed extinct (Mallon and Al Safadi 2001). During surveys conducted in 1992 in the mountains south of Ta'izz, local people reported that gazelles had not been seen in the area for several decades (Greth et al. 1993).

Population:

The population was described as very common in 1951, but there have been no records since the 1950s and the species is now believed extinct (Mallon and Al Safadi 2001). During surveys conducted in 1992 in the mountains south of Ta'izz, local people reported that gazelles had not been seen in the area for several decades (Greth et al. 1993).

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Seen in small groups of 1-3 on Euphorbia-covered hillsides at altitudes of 1,230 - 2,150 m; not seen in cultivated areas or near roads (Sanborn and Hoogstraal 1953).
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	This species was hunted for food by army officers in 1951 (Sanborn and Hoogstraal 1953); there is no other information available.

Major Threat(s):

This species was hunted for food by army officers in 1951 (Sanborn and Hoogstraal 1953); there is no other information available.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Extinct.

Conservation Actions:

Extinct.

Citation:	Participants at the 4th International Conservation Workshop for the Threatened Fauna of Arabia 2008. Gazella bilkis. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 November 2009.
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