Jaculus loftusi (Blanford, 1875)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6591722 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6591665 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/482287C8-ED4E-7D6A-B4F9-FCB4C2EF76B6 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Jaculus loftusi |
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Arabian Jerboa
French: Gerboise de Loftus / German: Arabische Wistenspringmaus / Spanish: Jerbo de Arabia
Taxonomy. Dipus loftusi Blanford, 1875 View in CoL ,
Mohumrah [= Khorramshahr], Iran.
J. loftusi was included in J. jaculus . Phylogenetically, it is in the subgenus Jaculus , being the sister species of J. hurtipes. Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
J.l.loftusiBlanford,1875—Iraq(EofEuphratesRiver)andSWIran.
J. l. vocator Thomas, 1921 — Arabian Peninsula, including Syria, Jordan, Iraq (W of Euphrates), Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen.
Descriptive notes. Head—body 119-180 mm, tail 207-265 mm, ear 30-35 mm, hindfoot 68-81 mm; weight 112-175 g. Female Arabian Jerboas are slightly larger than males. Head and dorsum are sandy buff; sides and ventral pelage are pure white. Basal parts of vibrissae are dark gray. Tail banner is wide and well flattened, with fuzzy white basal ring; black subterminal field is significantly longer than white terminal tuft. Toes of hindfeet are covered from below with brushes of relatively long soft hairs; external hairs of brushes are white, with dark brown tips and internally black or dark brown; toes do not have conic calluses at bases. Rostral part of skull is massive. Auditory bullae are strongly inflated and project from under braincase laterally and caudally. Mastoid cavity is large and partially subdivided into three sections by septs. In volume, mastoid cavity is about three times larger than tympanic cavity. Front surfaces of incisors are white. P' is absent. Molars are high-crowned, with terraced masticatory surfaces; crown heights of unworn molars are 140-150% of their lengths. Glans penis is massive, cylindrical, elongated, subdivided by deep longitudinal folds into one dorsal, two lateral, and two ventral lobes; surfaces of lobes are covered by comb-like scales, with 4-6 scallops at their proximal edges. Os penis (baculum) is large (its length about equal to length of glans penis) and straight, with relatively small flat horizontal broadening at proximal end and medium-sized flat horizontal broadenings at distal end. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 48 and FN = 96.
Habitat. Sandy, sandy-gravel, and stony deserts, without clear preference for a type of substrate.
Food and Feeding. Based on molar morphology, the Arabian Jerboa probably eats a mixture of seeds and green plant parts.
Breeding. Breeding of the Arabian Jerboa was recorded in February—November. Litters have 2-7 young. Gestation was estimated at ¢.25 days.
Activity patterns. The Arabian Jerboa is nocturnal. Aboveground activity usually starts one hour after sunset and lasts throughout the night. Hibernation has not been observed, but aboveground activity decreases during the warmest months of the year.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Architecture of burrows varies considerably depending on the nature of the soil. Burrows in stony soils are simple, and their depth usually does not exceed 30 cm. In sandy soils, burrows have several tunnels: one main entrance always plugged by soil, several emergency exits, and nest chamber ¢.120 cm deep. In the wild, Arabian Jerboas are mainly solitary. In captivity, they tried to avoid physical contacts, emitting different types of sounds; fighting was not recorded.
Status and Conservation. Not assessed as a distinct species on The IUCN Red Last.
Bibliography. Al-Mutairi et al. (2012), Ben Faleh, Granjon, Tatard, Boratynski et al. (2012), Boratynski et al. (2014), Harrison & Bates (1991), Kadhim et al. (1979), Lewis et al. (1965), Shenbrot et al. (2016).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
