Jaculus hirtipes
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Dipodidae
Jaculus
Jaculus hirtipes

description: 34.
African Hammada Jerboa
Jaculus hirtipes
French: Gerboise de Saggara / German: Hammada-Wistenspringmaus / Spanish: Jerbo africano de hamada
Taxonomy. Dipus hirtipes Lichtenstein, 1823,
Saqqara, Egypt.
In the past, J. hirtipes was synonymized with [. jaculus or was considered under the name J. deserts named by V. Loche in 1867.
Phylogenetically, J. hirtipes is in the subgenus faculus and the sister species of J. lof tusi, with which it diverged c.1-6 million years ago. Fifteen subspecific names were proposed for J. deserti (some of which may really represent J. jaculus), but the subspecific taxonomy should be revised because previous analyses were based on mixed samples ofJ. hirtipes and J. jaculus. Analysis of molecular data demonstrated the absence of significant spatial structuring and significant relationships between geographical and genetic distances in the Saharan part of the distribution. Monotypic.
Distribution. North Africa, Horn of Africa, and W Middle East, including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, NE Nigeria, Sinai Peninsula, Israel, and WJordan; it probably occurs in the West Bank, extreme N Burkina Faso, and Djibouti.
Descriptive notes. Head—body 95-145 mm, tail 172-215 mm, ear 18-25 mm, hindfoot 55-70 mm; weight 43-91 g. Females are slightly larger than males. Head and dorsum vary from brownish gray to light brown; sides and ventral pelage are pure white. Basal parts of vibrissae are dark gray. Tail banneris wide and well flattened, with fuzzy white basal ring; black subterminal field and white terminal tuft are about equal in length; and ventral side of black subterminal field has no white stripe along tail rod. Toes of hindfeet are covered from below with brushes of relatively long soft hairs; external hairs of brushes are white with dark brown tips and internally black or dark brown; toes do not have conic calluses at bases. Rostral part of skull is slender. Auditory bullae are strongly inflated and project from under braincase laterally and caudally. Mastoid cavity is large and partially subdivided into three sections by septs. In volume, mastoid cavity is about three times larger than tympanic cavity. Front surfaces of incisors are white. P' is absent. Molars are high-crowned, with terraced masticatory surfaces; crown heights of unworn molars are 140-150% oftheir lengths. Glans penis is massive, cylindrical, elongated, subdivided by deep longitudinal folds into one dorsal, two lateral, and two ventral lobes; surfaces of lobes are covered by comb-like scales, with 7-16 (usually 10-12) short scallops at their proximal edges. Os penis (baculum) is large (its length about equal to length of glans penis) and straight, with relatively small flat horizontal broadening at proximal end and medium-sized flat horizontal broadenings at distal end. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 48 and FN = 96.
Habitat. Clay, loess, stony, and sandy-gravel deserts and dry savannas, preferring open flat areas with sparse vegetation and rarely sandy deserts.
Food and Feeding. The African Hammada Jerboa eats seeds, leaves, grass germs, and roots.
Breeding. Breeding of the African Hammada Jerboa was recorded in February-September in Egypt and June-July and October-December, with interruption in August— September, in Sudan. Litters have 1-5 young (usually 3-4). Overwintering females can produce up to two litters per year. Gestation was estimated at 35 days. Young nurse for 43-45 days.
Activity patterns. The African Hammada Jerboa is nocturnal. Aboveground activity usually starts shortly after sunset. Hibernation has not been recorded.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. African Hammada Jerboas move very slowly when foraging and climbing, using all four legs. They use synchronous or asynchronous ricochetjumps; each hop is ¢.200 mm. At medium-speed and when running fast, they use bipedal pacing, with alternating support by left and right hindfeet. Maximum speed is 6-3 m/s. They sometimes jump vertically into the air. Summer burrows are 40-60 cm deep, and winter burrows are 1-5-3 m deep. In the wild, African HammadaJerboas are mainly solitary but can be observed in groups of 2-4 individuals; even when in groups, they remain several meters apart. Social interactions were observed only in captivity, mainly short naso-nasal contacts. Aggressive behavior usually is expressed as chasing and escaping, sometime ending with fighting.
Status and Conservation. Not assessed as a distinct species on The IUCN Red Last.
Bibliography. Ben Faleh, Cosson et al. (2010), Ben Faleh, Granjon, Tatard, Boratynski et al. (2012), Boratynski, Brito, Campos et al. (2014), Boratynski, Brito & Mappes (2012), Granjon & Duplantier (2009), Happold (19674, 1970a), Hooper & El Hilali (1972), Kowalski & Rzebik-Kowalska (1991), Loche (1867), Mendelssohn & Yom-Tov (1999), Osborn & Helmy (1980), Ranck (1968), Schropfer et al. (1985), Shahin & Ata (2001), Shenbrot et al. (2016).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Dipodidae, pp. 81-100 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 99-100, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6591722