RODENTS OF LIBYA 149 



gerbils are largely confined. Even today the species is poorly known 

 and is represented by comparatively few specimens from widely 

 scattered localities. 



Wassif (1956) assigned specimens from western coastal Egypt to 

 Gerbillus henleyi jordani (Thomas), whose range is far to the west 

 in the Central Plateau of Algeria. He had no specimens of G. h. 

 jordani and based this assignment on similarities in size, particularly 

 in the length of the auditory bullae. Later, Setzer (1958) referred 

 all Egyptian specimens from west of the Nile River to G. h. henleyi 

 and asserted that G. h. jordani did not occur in Egypt. The inclusion 

 of the Libyan specimens within G. h. henleyi extends the range of 

 the nominate subspecies even farther westward and indicates that 

 G. h. jordani is not a part of the Libyan fauna. 



In the original description of Dipodillus jordani (= Gerbillus henleyi 

 jordani), Thomas (1918) distinguished it from Dipodillus henleyi 

 ( = Gerbillus henleyi henleyi) on the basis of the larger size of the 

 former. This larger size of G. h. jordani was further indicated by 

 Setzer, who compared members of the two subspecies at the British 

 Museum. Measurements made by the author on specimens from 

 Libya and of topotypical specimens of G. h. henleyi from coastal 

 Egypt are larger, rather than smaller as would be expected, than 

 those of the type specimen of G. h. jordani. For the present, until 

 much larger series of these gerbils become available from Algeria 

 and western Libya to provide more reliable comparative material, 

 I prefer to regard G. h. jordani as a subspecies of uncertain status 

 confined to the Central Plateau of Algeria. 



Ecological observations. These small gerbils are apparently 

 confined to the coastal plain and littoral deserts of northern Libya. 

 Two specimens were obtained from near Ain el Gaza! a along the 

 coastal highway where a series of large, exposed hummocks supported 

 sparse growths of thorny perennials. These hummocks were riddled 

 with larger burrows, presumably those of jirds (Meriones), as two of 

 the latter were taken in the same trapline. Near Tobruch, three 

 specimens were obtained from the broad coastal plain. At this locality, 

 the plant cover was almost complete and continued uninterruptedly 

 for several kilometers. According to Setzer (1957), the habitat near 

 El Agheila is characterized by a "pebbly desert which is slightly 

 raised above the coastal plain." 



Gerbillus kaiseri Setzer 



Gerbillus kaiseri Setzer, Journ. Egypt. Public Health Assoc, vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 

 214-216, 1958 (Mersa Matruh, Western Desert Governorate, Egypt). 



General distribution of species. Coastal areas of Libya and 

 Egypt as far east as the Nile River; range probably also includes 

 portions of Tunisia and Algeria. 



