Eliomys munbyanus
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Gliridae
Eliomys
Eliomys munbyanus

description: 29.
Maghreb Garden Dormouse
Eliomys munbyanus
French: Lérot du Maghreb / German: Maghreb-Gartenschlafer / Spanish: Liron careto del Magreb
Taxonomy. Myoxus munbyanus Pomel, 1856,
Region d’Oran (Province of Oran), Algeria.
This species historically has been considered a synonym of E. quercinus as exemplified by J. Niethammer in 1959, B. Krystufek and R. Kraft in 1997, and S. Moreno in 2002. In 1988, however, M. G. Filippucci and colleagues treated E. munbyanus as a subspecies of E. melanurus. M. E. Holden in 2005 argued that morphometric analyses by KryStufek and Kraft in 1997, considered together with karyological and allozymic analyses by M. Tranier and F. Petter in 1978, M. Delibes and colleagues in 1980, Filippucci and colleagues in 1988, Filippucci and T. Kotsakis in 1994, and Filippucci and E. Capanna in 1996 supported recognition of E. munbyanusas a valid species. Recently, G. C. L. Perez and colleagues in 2013 analyzed chromosomal and mtDNA cytochrome-b sequence data from populations of E. quercinus, E. melanurus, and E. munbyanus; they sampled three E. munbyanus individuals from Morocco and one E. melanurus individual from Israel. Two mitochondrial lineages were identified: one grouped the two Moroccan individuals, and the other surprisingly grouped the Israeli individual with the third Moroccan individual. Their mitochondrial analysis suggested a strong differentiation among North African populations and gave support for recognition of two valid species, although Perez and colleagues cautioned that additional sampling was needed to confirm distinctiveness of the two groups. Results from their chromosomal analysis, however, was contradictory and did not support recognition of two species. Pending further integrative studies that include samples from additional Middle Eastern and North African populations, E. munbyanus is retained here as a valid species. Hypothesized distribution of E. munbyanus as outlined here is concordant with that of other mammalian endemics of the Maghreb as discussed by M. D. Carleton and E. Van der Straeten in 1997. Geographical variation has been documented in certain phenetic traits such as body size,tail color, and degree of inflation of auditory bullae. Monotypic.
Distribution. Maghreb region of North Africa, from SW Western Sahara, Morocco, N Algeria, and Tunisia to W Libya (as far E as Murqub District, and as far S as Fezzan).
Descriptive notes. Head-body 100-140 mm, tail 96-118 mm, ear 20-27 mm, hindfoot 22-27 mm; weight 42-62 g. No sexual dimorphism reported. Maghreb Garden Dormice are intermediate in body size within the genus and have longer ears and tail and larger auditory bullae than European Garden Dormice (FE. quercinus); they have shorter ears and tooth rows than the Black-tailed Garden Dormice (FE. melanurus). Dorsal pelage of the Maghreb Garden Dormouse is reddish or yellowish brown suffused with gray. Pelage is soft, sometimes woolly, and moderately long. Ventral pelage is predominantly white; sides of body and cheeks appear paler. Dorsal pelage is clearly delineated from ventral pelage. Head color generally matches that of dorsal pelage and becomes paler toward muzzle. Thick, conspicuous black eye mask extends from above and below ear pinnae, encircles eyes, and extends just to base of vibrissae; nose and lips are thinly haired and thus appear almost naked and pink. Ears are brown, long, and ovate; white pre-and postauricular patches are present. Hindfeet are white and moderately long, ¢.21% of head— body length. Tail is long, c.92% of head-body length. Dorsaltail color matches that of dorsal pelage for about one-third oftail length and then abruptly transitions to black and culminates in conspicuous white tuft. Ventral tail color is generally paler;tail color and pattern vary geographically. Greatest length of skull is 31-7-35-6 mm, zygomatic breadth is 18:6-20-1 mm, and upper tooth row length is 4-7 mm. External and cranial measurements listed are of specimens from Morocco. Chromosome numberis 2n = 46. Females have four pairs of nipples (I pectoral + 1 abdominal + 2 inguinal = 8).
Habitat. Varied habitats from sea level in coastal regions to elevations of ¢.3800 m in the Atlas and Djurdjura Mountains. Maghreb Garden Dormice have been collected in rocky areas in thick Mediterranean maquis (scrubland) of heath (Arbutus, Calluna, and Erica), mock privet (Phillyrea, Oleaceae), pistachio (Pistacia, Anacardiaceae), myrtle (Myrtus, Myrtaceae), and Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis). They also inhabit wooded areas with rocks and boulders providing ground cover in cork oak (Quercus suber, Fagaceae) woodland, pine (Pinus halepensis and P. insignis) forests, and mixed oak (Q. canariensis, Q. pyrenaica, and Q. suber) forests. This species seems to tolerate anthropogenic habitat modification because it has been captured in dry, overgrazed habitats with isolated Acacia (Fabaceae), pistachio, and Mediterranean fan palm. Maghreb Garden Dormice also inhabit large oases and adjoining areas in or near date palms (Phoenix) and tamarisk (7amarix, Tamaricaceae), potato fields, and occasionally prickly pear cactus (Opuntia, Cactaceae). Other habitats include coastal dunes, montane cedar forests, montane boulder fields, cultivated areas, and treeless, rocky alpine slopes.
Food and Feeding. Maghreb Garden Dormice are omnivorous. They eat insects,fruits, and eggs; they also likely prey on small vertebrates. In Tunisia, the Maghreb Garden Dormouse is reportedly a pest in fruit plantations, favoring pomegranate, and vegetable gardens of legumes, paprika, and eggplant; chicken eggs are likely consumed. Remains of insects and land snails have also been found near nest entrances in rocky fields and individuals have been observed capturing butterflies by springing into the air with both forelimbs stretched out in front.
Breeding. Litter-sizes of Maghreb Garden Dormice are estimated to be 4-6 young, although as many as eight embryos have been recorded. Evidence suggests that reproduction begins in March and lasts until November at lower elevations and along the Mediterranean coast. Young remainin the nest for c¢.7 weeks. In northern Morocco, lactating females were captured in November; in Tunisia, pregnant females were recorded in March-April. In Tunisia, sex ratio was male-biased, which might have reflected a sampling artifact due to seasonal differences in activity between sexes.
Activity patterns. Maghreb Garden Dormice are nocturnal. They enter torpor in response to low ambient temperature. It has been inferred that individuals that inhabit higher elevations hibernate, but at lower elevations they might be active all year—a hypothesis bolstered by capture of two individuals in January near Oran, Algeria. In Libya, G. L.. Ranck in 1968 stated that individuals were infrequently captured in winter when ambient temperatures at night often dropped below —1°C, and suggested that their seemingly low abundance might be explained by inactivity of torpid individuals. In Morocco, one individual was caught during a night when ambient temperature dropped below 0°C according to Moreno and Delibes in 1982.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Maghreb Garden Dormice are predominantly arboreal, partly terrestrial, and solitary. They nest in tree cavities, and freestanding nests have been found in several kinds oftrees, including tamarisk,olive, willow, poplar, and several species of palm. Maghreb Garden Dormice also construct nests in shrubs, small palms, and rarely prickly pear cactus, in rock crevices, caves, at bases of large rocks; nests have also been found in human dwellings in thatched roofs, alcoves, attics, and conduits of huts. Materials used to construct nests include grass, barley stems, palm fiber, goat hair, sheep wool, possibly dromedary wool, and even flower clusters of Acacia.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Maghreb Garden Dormouse has a large distribution and does not face any known major conservation threats. It can be found in several protected areas, including Tubkal National Park in Morocco and Djurdjura National Park in northern Algeria.
Bibliography. Amori, Aulagnier et al. (2008b), Aulagnier & Thévenot (1986), Carleton & Van der Straeten (1997), Delibes et al. (1980), Filippucci & Capanna (1996), Filippucci & Kotsakis (1994), Filippucci, Civitelli & Capanna (1988), Filippucci, Simson et al. (1988), Holden (1993, 2005, 2013), Kahmann & Thoms (1981), Khidas (1993), Kowalski & Rzebik-Kowalska (1991), Krystufek & Kraft (1997), Moreno (2002, 2007), Moreno & Delibes (1982), Niethammer (1959), Perez et al. (2013), Petter & Saint-Girons (1965), Pomel (1856), Ranck (1968), Sannieretal. (2011), Tranier & Petter (1978), Vesmanis (1980), Zima et al. (1994).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Gliridae, pp. 838-889 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 862, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6604339