Fringe-tailed Gerbil
Gerbilliscus robustus (Cretzschmar, 1826)
Also calledFransenschwanz-Nacktsohlenrennmaus (deu) · Gerbil-de-cauda-franjada (por) · Gerbille robuste (fra) · myszoskoczek frędzloogonowy (pol) · pískomil větší (ces) · sirohäntägerbiili (fin) · Гребнехвостая песчанка (rus) · フサオハダシアレチネズミ (jpn)
First described in: In Rüppell, Atlas Reise Nordl. Afrika, Zool. Säugeth. vol.1 p.75
The fringe-tailed gerbil (Gerbilliscus robustus) is a species of rodent found in Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, possibly Cameroon, and possibly Nigeria. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, arable land and urban areas.
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
discussion
Discussion: Subgenus Taterona. Revised by Bates (1988), who summarized chromosomal, distributional and ecological data, and reviewed by Pavlinov et al. (1990). Pavlinov et al. (1990) allocated bayeri and bodessana to G. nigricaudus, following Davis (1975 a), but Bates (1988) assigned them to the synonymy of G. robustus. Pavlinov (1997) used discriminant analysis of cranial variables to verify the distinctness of G. robustus compared with G. guineae and G. phillipsi and showed that the holotype of bodessana clustered with G. phillipsi and those of bodessae and taylori grouped with samples of G. robustus. Bulatova et al. (2002) provided chromosomal information for Ethiopian sample.
Order Rodentia - Family Muridae
distribution
Distribution: Burkina Faso, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania (see Bates, 1985, 1988).
Order Rodentia - Family Muridae
activity
Activity patterns. Fringe-tailed Gerbils are nocturnal and terrestrial. Burrows are deep (up to 60 cm below surface) and complex, with multiple tunnels; entrances are marked by spoil heaps, and burrow system may extend over large area (3 x 2 mj).
Muridae
biology_ecology
Habitat. Grassland savannas with Acacia (Fabaceae) bush and Salvadora (Salvadoraceae) thickets, at elevations of up to 1600 m. May be found in cultivated fields.
Muridae
In the stacks
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Every page naming Gerbilliscus robustus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 4264947.