Notes on the distribution and phylogeography of two rare small Gerbillinae (Rodentia, Muridae) in Morocco: Gerbillus simoni and Gerbillus henleyi

Abstract

Even though Gerbillinae rodents represent an important part of the mammalian fauna in North Africa, many gaps remain in our understanding of the distribution, ecology, evolution, and systematics of some lesser known species in this family. We present in this study the most recent findings on two of these species. The first species, Gerbillus simoni Lataste, 1881, is a short-tailed, small gerbil, endemic to North Africa. In Morocco, it is present only in a small area in the northeast, where it has not been caught since 1970. In 2014, we captured a small gerbil in this region that was identified as G. simoni based on morphology and molecular data (cytochrome b gene sequencing). This study represents the first genetic characterization of G. simoni in Morocco and the first one outside Tunisia. Populations from Morocco and Tunisia (mainland and Kerkennah Islands) show very little genetic differentiation. The second species, Gerbillus henleyi de Winton, 1903, is a long-tailed small gerbil that lives in the Sahel and North Africa with an extension to the Middle East. In Morocco, this species was only known in the southwest. Between 2014 and 2015, we have captured four gerbils in the northeast of the country, which were confirmed genetically and morphologically as belonging to this species. This represents an extension of its known distribution of about 370km to the northeast of the country. These new Moroccan specimens form a distinct lineage. High genetic diversity is observed throughout the geographic range of G. henleyi, suggesting the existence of several cryptic species.

Breeding of the Gull-billed Tern in the Sahara and an update on its distribution in Algeria

“…Additionally, morphological variability in the mean body measurements, tail length and inflation of auditory bulla of G. amoenus was previously reported for populations from Egypt and Libya (Ranck 1968). These measurements can also be mistaken for those of another small naked-footed gerbil present in the south of Morocco, Gerbillus henleyi, but they are smaller on average in this latter species (Granjon 2013;Happold 2013;Bouarakia et al 2018). We also note that our specimen differs to a small degree from G. henleyi in the morphology of the upper M1 molar and in the length of the auditory bullae on the occipital condyle level (Petter 1961(Petter , 1975.…”

Morphological, biometric and taphonomic analyses of Holocene gerbils from Guenfouda (Eastern Morocco) and first mention ofGerbillus henleyiin a fossil record

“…These specimens did not differ from their present-day counterparts except by their slightly smaller size (Table 3, Figures 5, 6). G. henleyi is now part of the current fauna of eastern Morocco, with an expansion of 370 km to the north-east of the country according to the most recent record of this species from south of Tafilalt from rejection pellets (Aulagnier et al 2017;Bouarakia et al 2018). This expansion could be interpreted as the result of the ongoing desertification process in North Africa and the increasing aridification advancing northwards to regions such as eastern Morocco (Jalut et al 2009;Tabel et al 2016;Bouarakia et al 2018Bouarakia et al , 2021.…”

“…G. henleyi is now part of the current fauna of eastern Morocco, with an expansion of 370 km to the north-east of the country according to the most recent record of this species from south of Tafilalt from rejection pellets (Aulagnier et al 2017;Bouarakia et al 2018). This expansion could be interpreted as the result of the ongoing desertification process in North Africa and the increasing aridification advancing northwards to regions such as eastern Morocco (Jalut et al 2009;Tabel et al 2016;Bouarakia et al 2018Bouarakia et al , 2021. Similar to the case of G. henleyi, Sundevall's Jird Meriones crassus Sundevall, 1842, a gerbilline species widespread in the desert regions of North Africa and Asia, was also recently discovered in eastern Morocco (Bouarakia et al 2021).…”

“…In Morocco, the distribution area appears sparse with a few capture points or traces of presence reported in the south and southeast of the country (Aulagnier et al 2017). Recent captures and molecular identifications have confirmed the extension of its distribution range in northeastern Morocco in the Hauts Plateaux (Bouarakia et al 2018). This gerbil occupies desert to semi-desert regions and prefers coastal sand dunes covered with halophytes, salt marshes, cultivated fields, wadi beds, stony plains and hamadas (Granjon 2013;Aulagnier et al 2017).…”

Pup ultrasonic isolation calls of six gerbil species and the relationship between acoustic traits and body size

“…Gerbil species are different in body size [3,15,20]. Among Gerbillinae species, the body mass of adults can differ more than 15 times: approximately 10 g in Gerbillus henleyi [15,67], approximately 19 g in Gerbillus simoni [68], approximately 24 g in Gerbillus dasyurus [15], approximately 90 g in Meriones crassus [15,67] and over 150 g in Rhombomys opimus and Psammomys obesus [67,69]. For many gerbil species, morphometric data (body weight, body length, head length and foot length) were used as proxies of body size in both pups and adults [3,17–21,52].…”