Gerbillus nanus | UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial

Taxa
Gerbillus nanus | Blanford, 1875
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Mammals
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
G. garamantis, G. vivax and G. quadrimaculatus were previously assessed as separate species in the 2003 Red List, but are now included within Gerbillus nanus.
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
The distribution of this species in the UAE appears to be patchy and is poorly known. There are records from Al Ain, Sweihan and Sharjah (Aspinall et al. 2005, Drew and Tourenq 2005), Al Wathba (Soorae et al. 2014), Baynoonah (one record; J. Judas pers. comm. 2018). It was not recorded on recent surveys of protected areas in Abu Dhabi (R. Gubiani pers. comm 2018). There are four records from the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (G. Simkins pers. comm. 2018). It is regularly trapped around the Breeding Centre for Endangered Wildlife and at Dulaima in Sharjah (K. Budd and J. Pereira pers. comm. 2018). The species is similar in appearance to Gerbillus dayurus and may sometimes be misidentified (B. Howarth pers. comm. 2018). The two species cannot be distinguished on dentition (Harrison and Bates 1991). Globally, it occurs across the western and central Sahara and Sahel, as well as the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, through Afghanistan and Pakistan to northwest India (Shenbrot 2016). It is widespread in the Arabian Peninsula (Harrison and Bates 1991).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Lives in sand and salt flats (Aspinall et al. 2005).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Data deficient
Assessment status abreviation
DD
Assessment rationale/justification
The distribution of this species is poorly known in the UAE and it is known from scattered records. It is assessed as Data Deficient because the available information is too limited to assess its status. No regional adjustment is made to the Data Deficient assessment.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2018
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Overgrazing, especially by camels, has caused extensive habitat degradation outside protected areas. An increase in numbers of feral cats and an increase in Red Fox range and numbers may also be having an impact on small mammals.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Data Deficient which matches the listing given by Hornby (1996).
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Gerbillus nanus Animalia Chordata Mammalia Rodentia Muridae Gerbillus