Scarturus hotsoni
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
Scarturus
Scarturus hotsoni

description: 18.
Hotson'’s Five-toed Jerboa
Scarturus hotsoni
French: Gerboise de Hotson / German: Hotson-Pferdespringer / Spanish: Jerbo pentadactilo de Hotson
Other common names: Hotson's Jerboa
Taxonomy. Allactaga hotsoni Thomas, 1920,
“ Kant, 20 miles [32 km] S. W.ofSib. Alt. 3,950’ [1204 km |,” Balochistan, Iran.
Previously included in the genus Allactaga and later Paralactaga, which has recently been found to be ajunior synonym of Scarturus. Phylogenetically, S. hotsoni occupies the basal position in the subgenus Paralactaga. Conspecific status of S. hotsoniand Allactagafirouzinamed by D. R. Womochel in 1978 was evident by morphometric analysis of G. I. Shenbrot in 2009 and was supported by molecular data of M. Dianat and colleagues in 2013. Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
S.h.hotsoniThomas,1920—EIran,SWAfghanistan,andSWPakistan.
S. h. firouzi Womochel, 1978 — C Iran (Isfahan).
Descriptive notes. Head—body 97-161 mm, tail 167-220 mm, ear 38-55 mm, hindfoot 53-62 mm; weight 48-92 g. There is no significant secondary sexual dimorphism. Condylo-basal lengths of skulls are 25-5-28-6 mm, zygomatic breadths are 19-4-21-4 mm, and maxillary tooth row lengths are 4-8-5-6 mm. Head and dorsum are dark buffto pale buff; sides and ventral pelage are pure white; and tail banner is wide and well flattened, with short fuzzy whitish basal ring, relatively long black subterminal field, and short white terminal tuft. Toes of hindfeet are covered from below with mediumlength, soft blackish gray hairs not forming brushes; conic calluses at bases of toes are large, with wide bases and rounded apexes. Auditory bullae are strongly inflated. Mastoid cavity is large but not subdivided into sections; tympanic cavity is extremely small. Front surfaces of incisors are white; incisors are weakly deflected forward. P! is relatively small and 2-2-1 times smaller in diameter than M’. Molars are mediumcrowned, with tuberculous masticatory surfaces; crown heights of unworn molars are c.90% of their lengths. Morphology of glans penis and chromosomal complement have not been described.
Habitat. Flat gravel and clay-loess deserts with sparse, clumped vegetation; avoids sandy areas.
Food and Feeding. In captivity, Hotson’s Five-toed Jerboa eats many green plants, including alfalfa (Medicago sativa, Fabaceae) and chenopods (Amaranthaceae).
Breeding. No information.
Activity patterns. The Hotson’s Five-toed Jerboa is nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Summer burrows of Hotson’s FivetoedJerboas usually have one main tunnel starting at the ground’s surface, usually with plugged entrance, and ending with nest chamber 12-15 cm in diameter and 40-60 cm deep. In most cases, burrows have 1-3 additional tunnels ending with emergency exits. Total lengths of tunnels are 70-110 cm. Winter burrows have more tunnels; tunnels are ¢.360 cm long, and nest chamber is 85 cm deep. Hotson’s Five-toed Jerboas are solitary; in captivity, they showed no signs of intraspecific aggression.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern (as Allactaga hotsoni) and Data Deficient (as A. firouzi) on The IUCN Red Lust.
Bibliography. Brown (1980), Dianat et al. (2013), Hassinger (1973), Lay (1967), Mohammadi & Naderi (2010), Mohammadi et al. (2010), Naderi et al. (2009), Roberts (1997), Shenbrot (2009), Womochel (1978).
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 page 92, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6591722