Taxon name
Gerbillus nanus
Blanford, 1875
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Gerbillus nanus
Blanford, 1875
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Species authority
Blanford, 1875
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
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.
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
Data deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
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.
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
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).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Lives in sand and salt flats (Aspinall et al. 2005).
Threats and conservation measures listed
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.
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Data Deficient which matches the listing given by Hornby (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
