RODENTS OF LIBYA 181 



represented in collections. The present series probably provides a 

 very incomplete picture of their actual distribution in Libya. The 

 jirds obtained by Edward Dodson, plus additional specimens from 

 Bir el Fatia and Serdeles (Toschi, 1951), those obtained by Setzer 

 (1957) from near Socna and Bir Fergian, and the present series 

 collected by the author from the Fezzan constitute the only known 

 records of occurrence of Meriones crassus in Libya. 



Meriones libycus Lichtenstein 



Meriones libycus Lichtenstein, Verzeich. Doubl. Zool. Mus. Berlin, p. 5, no. 9, 

 1823 (Lichtenstein gives the type locality as "e deserto libyco," but Ellerman 

 and Morrison-Scott [1951:644] limit the type locality to "Near Alexandria.") 



General distribution of species. Russian Turkestan, Chinese 

 Turkestan, Transcaucasia, Kara-Kum, Kizil-Kum, Iran, Baluchistan 

 (West Pakistan), Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Saudi Arabia, 

 Sinai, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. 



Distribution in Libya. Coastal plain and littoral deserts of 

 Cyrenaica and Tripolitania. 



Distribution of the subspecies in Libya. 



Meriones libycus azizi. Cyrenaica : Coastal areas of extreme northern 

 Cyrenaica. 



Meriones libycus auratus. Cyrenaica and Tripolitania: Coastal 

 plain of Gulf of Sirte and Tripolitania as far inland as the coastal 

 escarpment. 



Published records in Libya. Cyrenaica: Bou Cheifa (Thomas, 

 [Meriones shawi shawi] 1902) ; Benghazi, Gheminez (Festa [Meriones 

 guyoni Loche], 1921); Giarabub and vicinity (de Beaux, 1928); Augila 

 (de Beaux [Meriones guyoni], 1932); Derna (Zavattari, 1934); Merg 

 ( =Barce) (de Beaux, [Meriones shawi shawi] 1938); Benghazi, 

 Gheminez (Toschi, [Meriones shawi shawi] 1951); Tripolitania: 

 Wadi Aggar, Wadi Nefed, Tarhuna (Thomas, [Meriones shawi shawi] 

 1902). 



Comparisons. This species can be readily distinguished from 

 Meriones crassus by coarser, less silky fur ; markedly smaller and less 

 inflated auditory bullae, and smaller suprameatal triangles with more 

 closely approximating posterior processes. 



From a single specimen (MNHN, no. 704) of Meriones shawi, as 

 known from Guelt es Stel, Algeria, and two specimens (BM, nos. 

 60.8.25.12 and 60.8.25.13) identified as Meriones robustus Wagner 

 (^Meriones shawi [Loche, 1867]) from an unknown locality in Algeria, 

 representatives of M. libycus from Libya and Egypt are noticeably 

 smaller cranially and have proportionately larger and more inflated 

 auditory bullae. In color and external measurements, the specimen 

 from Guelt es Stel is similar to representatives of M. libycus in Libya. 



