Gerbillus simoni

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	RODENTIA	MURIDAE

Scientific Name:

Gerbillus simoni

Species Authority:

Lataste, 1881

Common Name/s:

English

–

Lesser Short-tailed Gerbil

Synonym/s:

Dipodillus zakariai Cockrum, Vaughn & Vaughn, 1976

Taxonomic Notes:

The population on the island of Kerkennah (Tunisia) is recognized as a separate species, G. zakariai, by Musser and Carleton (2005). However, we follow Happold (in press) in including this population within simoni.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

Aulagnier, S., Granjon, L., Amori, G., Hutterer, R., 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)

Contributor/s:

Justification:
Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a degree of habitat modification, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.

If the Kerkennah island population is valid as a separate species, its range is highly restricted and it may fall into a threatened category. It is therefore important to investigate the taxonomy of this species further.

History:

2004	–	Least Concern
1996	–	Lower Risk/least concern (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species has a disjunct range. It is found from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and the high plateaus of Algeria, eastwards through Tunisia to northwestern Libya. The species is also present in coastal parts of northeastern Libya and Egypt west of the Nile River. It is a lowland species.
Countries:	Native: Algeria; Egypt; Libya; Morocco; Tunisia
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	It is not common, and is collected in traps less frequently than other Gerbillus species.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species occurs in rich steppe grassland vegetation and cultivated areas, especially arable cropland. Unlike many other Gerbillus species, G. simoni is not found in sandy habitats.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	No major threats are known.

Major Threat(s):

No major threats are known.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	It is not known if this species is present in any protected areas.

Conservation Actions:

It is not known if this species is present in any protected areas.

Citation:	Aulagnier, S., Granjon, L., Amori, G., Hutterer, R., Kryštufek, B., Yigit, N., Mitsain, G. & Palomo, L.J. 2008. Gerbillus simoni. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 May 2013.
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