Asian garden dormouse

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Asian garden dormouse
Frankfurt Zoo - Desert Dormouse.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Gliridae
Genus: Eliomys
Species:
E. melanurus
Binomial name
Eliomys melanurus
(Wagner, 1840)

The Asian garden dormouse or large-eared garden dormouse, [2] (Eliomys melanurus) is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is found in Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas and gardens.

Contents

It is active throughout the year but can enter a state of torpor. Diet consists mainly of insects, snails, centipedes and geckos but as an omnivore, it will also eat plant matter. [3] It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1840 by the German zoologist Johann Andreas Wagner who placed it in the genus Myoxus . It was later transferred to Eliomys . Originally thought to extend as far west as Morocco, it was considered to be a synonym of Eliomys quercinus , the garden dormouse. More recently E. melanurus sensu lato has been split, western populations in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia being assigned to E quercinus, while eastern populations were assigned to E. melanurus, distributed across Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Near East. Since then, the North African population of E. quercinus has been recognised as a separate species, Eliomys munbyanus , the Maghreb garden dormouse. [2]

Description

The Asian garden dormouse is a moderate-sized species with a head-and-body length of 111 to 144 mm (4.4 to 5.7 in) and a tail of 100 to 136 mm (3.9 to 5.4 in). The dorsal fur is soft, and sometimes woolly, yellowish-grey, yellowish-brown or reddish-brown. The underparts and hind feet are white or cream, sometimes tinged with grey, and clearly delineated from the dorsal pelage. The head is paler at the muzzle but otherwise matches the dorsal colouring. The cheeks are cream, and a dark diagonal streak passes through the large eyes. The ears are large and oval, and behind them are several, often inconspicuous, pale patches. The tail has short hairs near the base and longer hairs near the tip; at its root, both the upper and lower surfaces match the dorsal colouring, and the rest of the tail is black, sometimes with a little white at the tip. [2]

Distribution and habitat

The Asian garden dormouse occurs in North Africa and the Near East. Its range extends from northern Libya and Egypt to Iraq, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and southern Turkey. Suitable habitat includes coastal dunes, sandy plateaus, arid steppes, shrubland, subtropical dry woodland, mountainsides, escarpments, rocky areas and limestone cliffs. Sometimes individuals are found in gardens, occasionally in houses and one was once found in a Bedouin tent. [2] It occurs from near sea level up to about 2,850 m (9,350 ft), even living above the snowline in winter. [1]

Ecology

This dormouse is mainly nocturnal, and forages both on the ground and in trees. It feeds on insects and other invertebrates, as well as small vertebrates. [2] It is active throughout the year, but may at times enter a state of torpor, which may last for several days; the basal metabolic rate is relatively low, and the torpor helps the animal to conserve energy. [4] Little is known of its social behaviour, but animals caught from the wild are said to be very aggressive. Reproduction occurs in spring, the gestation period is 22 days and litters of about three young have been recorded. The skeletal remains of this dormouse have been found in the regurgitated pellets of barn owls and long-eared owls. [2]

Status

The Asian garden dormouse has a wide range and is a common species. No particular threats have been identified, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern". [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dormouse</span> Family of rodents

A dormouse is a rodent of the family Gliridae. Dormice are nocturnal animals found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are named for their long, dormant hibernation period of six months or longer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garden dormouse</span> Species of rodent

The garden dormouse is a species of dormouse native to Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushy-tailed jird</span> Species of rodent

The bushy-tailed jird or bushy-tailed dipodil is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus Sekeetamys. It is found in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan. Its natural habitat is rocky areas.

<i>Eliomys</i> Genus of rodents

Eliomys is a genus of rodent in the family Gliridae.

The Angolan African dormouse is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. Found in central and north Angola and western Zambia, it has been recorded from seven localities over an altitudinal range from 1,000 to 2,000 m above sea level. Its natural habitat is tropical dry forests. Although the population size is unknown, it is thought to be generally uncommon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodland dormouse</span> Species of rodent

The woodland dormouse is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is native to southern and eastern Africa and is also known as the African dormouse, African dwarf dormouse, African pygmy dormouse, or colloquially as micro squirrel. Found in limited numbers in the pet trade, it has complicated care requirements compared to other pet rodents. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical, moist montane forests and rivers.

The rock dormouse or flat-headed African dormouse is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is found in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe where it lives among rocks in upland areas. It is a fairly common, mainly nocturnal species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

The stone dormouse is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is found in Namibia, South Africa, and possibly Angola. Its natural habitat is rocky areas in the Karoo. Though it has a limited range, it is a fairly common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leithiinae</span> Subfamily of rodents

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maghreb garden dormouse</span> Species of rodent

The Maghreb garden dormouse is a nocturnal species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is found in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara. Its natural habitats vary from humid forests to semi-deserts. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as being of "least concern".

<i>Hypnomys</i> Extinct genus of rodents

Hypnomys, otherwise known as Balearic giant dormice, is an extinct genus of dormouse (Gliridae) in the subfamily Leithiinae. Its species are considered examples of insular gigantism. They were endemic to the Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean from the Early Pliocene until their extinction around 4,000 years ago. They first appeared in the fossil record on Mallorca during the Early Pliocene, presumably due to the Messinian salinity crisis causing a connection with mainland Europe. They later spread to Menorca, and a possible molar is also known from Ibiza. Hypnomys became extinct during the Holocene after human arrival on the Balearics. They were one of only three native land mammals to the islands at the time of human arrival, alongside the shrew Nesiotites and goat-antelope Myotragus.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Aulagnier, S.; Hutterer, R.; Kryštufek, B.; Yigit, N.; Mitsainas, G.; Palomo, L. (2021). "Eliomys melanurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T7619A197505035. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T7619A197505035.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kingdon, Jonathan; Happold, David; Butynski, Thomas; Hoffmann, Michael; Happold, Meredith; Kalina, Jan (2013). Mammals of Africa. A&C Black. pp. 105–107. ISBN   978-1-4081-8996-2.
  3. ↑ Aulagnier S.; P. Haffner, A. J. Mitchell-Jones, F. Moutou & J. Zima (2009) Mammals of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, A&C Black, London.
  4. ↑ Hain, Abraham; Rubal, Ami (1994). "Thermoregulation and rhythmicity in Eliomys melanurus from the Negev Desert in Israel". Hystrix. 6 (1–2): 209–216. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.601.8152 . doi:10.4404/hystrix-6.1-2-4032.

Bibliography

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