Taxon name
Acomys dimidiatus
(Cretzschmar, 1826)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Acomys dimidiatus
(Cretzschmar, 1826)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Species authority
(Cretzschmar, 1826)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Formerly considered a subspecies of Acomys cahirinus. See Musser and Carleton (2005) for details concerning the relationship between Acomys dimidiatus and A. cahirinus.
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
Near threatened
Qualifying criteria (if given)
B1b(iii)
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
Within the UAE, this species is restricted to rocky areas, primarily the Hajar Mountains, Jebel Hafeet and Qarn Nazwa. The extent of occurrence (EOO) is just over 6,000 km<sup>2</sup>, there is a continuing decline in the extent and quality of habitat due to a variety of threats, however, the number of locations is more than ten and the range is not severely fragmented, so it is assessed as Near Threatened (close to qualifying for a threatened category under criterion B1ab(iii)). There might be some rescue effect from populations in adjoining countries, particularly Oman, but this is not thought to be significant hence the regional assessment is not adjusted.
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
This species was first recorded for the UAE in 1971 at Jebel Faiyah, Sharjah, and then again in 1991 when a dead specimen was found by a road near Ghayl, Ra's al Khaimah. Subsequent surveys have shown that this species is quite widespread and numerous through the Hajar Mountains at lower elevations, particularly where Acacia tortilis is present. The species is also found on Jebel Hafeet, where it occurs at all elevations including barren rocks near the summit (Aspinall et al. 2005). It has also been recorded at several sites in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK Nature pers. comm. 2018) and on Qarn Nazwa in Dubai Emirate. Globally, this species is distributed from the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt through much of the Arabian Peninsula to Iran and southern Pakistan (Cassola 2016a).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Predominantly crepuscular and nocturnal and prefers all kinds of rocky habitats (Harrison and Bates 1991). Found on boulder-strewn slopes and rocky terrain where it lives in crevices among boulders (Cunningham 2008) and in wadi beds in Wadi Wurayah (Judas 2016). In a community structure study of Jebel Al Jais in Ras Al Khaimah Emirate, the species was recorded at elevations ranging from 450-“1,650 m, was most abundant in the wadi area around 450 m, and its abundance declined with increasing altitude (Melville and Chaber 2016). It was trapped at around 180 m asl on he outlying hill of Jebel Nazwa (Qarn Nazwa) in 2018 (J. Judas pers. comm. 2018). This species is omnivorous (Melville and Chaber 2016). There is evidence from trapping surveys that the Arabian Spiny Mouse is more susceptible than other small mammal species to disturbance and fragmentation (B. Howarth pers. comm. 2018).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Overgazing, 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
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Near Threatened (almost meets a threatened listing under criterion B1ab(iii)) 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
