Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Ordo: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Subordo: Cynodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohort: Theria
Cohort: Eutheria
Cohort: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Euarchontoglires
Ordo: Rodentia
Subordo: Myomorpha
Superfamilia: Dipodoidea
Familia: Dipodidae
Subfamilia: Allactaginae
Genus: Allactaga
Species: Allactaga tetradactyla
Name
Allactaga tetradactyla (Lichtenstein, 1823)
Type locality: Libyan Desert
Synonyms
Allactaga brucii (Lesson, 1827)
References
Allactaga tetradactyla in Mammal Species of the World.
Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (Editors) 2005. Mammal Species of the World – A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third edition. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4.
IUCN: Allactaga tetradactyla (Lichtenstein, 1823) (Vulnerable)
Vernacular names
English: Four-toed Jerboa
The four-toed jerboa (Allactaga tetradactyla) is a rodent of the family Dipodidae and genus Allactaga that has four digits. It is the sole species in the subgenus Scarturus. Four-toed jerboas are native to Egypt and Libya. They live in coastal salt marshes and dry deserts.
Physical appearance
Similar to the other jerboas in the genus Allactaga, the four-toed jerboa are small hopping rodents with large ears and a long tail with a black band near the white, feathery tip. The tail assists and serves as support when the jerboa is standing upright.[2] They have long hind feet and short forelegs.[3] The pelt of the four-toed jerboa is velvety in texture and the upper-parts are speckled black and orange, the rump orange, and the sides gray. The four-toed jerboa hind-limbs have an extra digit compared to other jerboas in the genus Allactaga. The extra digit is smaller in size and nonfunctional compared to the other three digits.[4]
Nutrition
Emerging at night, the four-toed jerboa eats grass, leaves, and soft seeds.[5] The low crown molars and soft palates help the Four-toed Jerboa chew plant material and seeds.[6]
The Four-toed jerboa is a host of the Acanthocephalan intestinal parasite Moniliformis aegyptiacus.[7]
Conservation status
The four-toed jerboa was listed as an animal on the Endangered Species List by the IUCN Red List. They are facing a very high risk of extinction due to habitat loss and restricted range.
References
Gerrie, R.; Kennerley, R. (2017). "Allactaga tetradactyla". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T850A22201540. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T850A22201540.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
Kirmiz, John P. Adaptation to Desert Environment; A Study on the Jerboa, Rat and Man. London: Butterworths, 1962. 17. Print.
Lagassé, Paul. "Jerboa." The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. New York: Columbia UP, 2000. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.
Shahin, A (2005). "Growth and Maturation of Metatarsals and Their Taxonomic Significance in the Jerboas Allactaga and Jaculus (Rodentia: Dipodidae)". Acta Zoologica. 86 (2): 82. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.2005.00189.x.
Holden, M. E. and G. G. Musser. 2005. Family Dipodidae. pp. 871–893 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore
Basyouny Shahin, Adel (1999). "A Comparative Study of the Molar and Soft Palate Characters of the Genera Allactaga and Jaculus (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Egypt". Zoology in the Middle East. 18 (1): 17–32. doi:10.1080/09397140.1999.10637779.
Guerreiro Martins, Natalia Beatriz; Del Rosario Robles, María; Navone, Graciela Teresa (2017). "A new species of Moniliformis from a Sigmodontinae rodent in Patagonia (Argentina)". Parasitology Research. 116 (8): 2091–2099. doi:10.1007/s00436-017-5508-9. PMID 28585077. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
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