Taxon name
Gerbillus dasyurus
(Wagner, 1842)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Gerbillus dasyurus
(Wagner, 1842)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Species authority
(Wagner, 1842)
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Least concern
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
Assessed as Least Concern because the species is widespread, mainly in the northern mountainous areas of the UAE, is frequently seen, and there are no indications of a decline. There is no need for any adjustment of the regional category.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
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.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Found in the northern UAE in mountainous areas. Recorded sites span the northern emirates and include Hatta, Masafi, Jebel Hafeet (Aspinall et al. 2005) and Jebel Al Jais (Melville and Chaber 2016), Wadi Wurayah (Judas 2016), Wadi Shawka and several sites in Ras Al Khaimah , e.g., Wadi Sfai and Wadi Daynah. The species is similar in appearance to Gerbillus nanus and may sometimes be misidentified (B. Howarth, pers. comm. 2018). The two species cannot be distinguished on dentition (Harrison and Bates 1991). The species is almost endemic to Arabia, extending marginally into the eastern desert of Egypt (Harrison and Bates 1991, Amori et al. 2016c).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
It occurs in rocky areas and mountain wadis in UAE. It occupies a wider range of habitats, including salt flats, elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula. It is strictly nocturnal. Further details of its ecology in UAE are poorly known.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Over-gazing, quarrying, road construction and other development activities in the mountains result in habitat loss and degradation and increased fragmentation. Species in the mountains may also be affected indirectly by falling water tables due to over-abstraction and reduced precipitation. An increase in numbers of feral cats and Red Foxes may also pose a threat to all small mammals.
History
Hornby (1996) assessed the species as Data Deficient, however, we consider it likely to have qualified as Least Concern in 1996.
Publication
Mallon, D., Hilton-Taylor, C., Allen, D., & Harding, K. (2019). UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial. A report to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates (p. 41). IUCN Global Species Programme. https://bit.ly/2RdZCQR
