Myomimus roachi Bate 1937

Myomimus roachi Bate 1937, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 10, 20: 399.

Type Locality: Israel, Mt Carmel, Tabun Cave, upper Pleistocene layers .

Vernacular Names: Roach's Mouse-tailed Dormouse.

Synonyms: Myomimus bulgaricus Rossolimo 1976 .

Distribution: Extant in SE Bulgaria (Filippucci and Peshev, 1999; Peshev, 1996), Turkish Thrace (Filippucci and Peshev, 1999; Kurtonur and Özkan, 1991), and W Turkey (Mursalo lu, 1973 a); limits unknown. Early to late Pleistocene fossils are known from Israel (Tchernov, 1992, 1994), Greece (Macedonia, Athens, Chios Isl and Kalimnos Isl) (Kuss and Storch, 1978; Storch, 1975, 1978 b), and from S Anatolia, Turkey (Corbet and Morris, 1967; Storch, 1988).

Conservation: IUCN – Vulnerable.

Discussion: Morphology, ecology and distribution reviewed by Rossolimo et al. (2001). Distribution and review provided by Storch (1978 b). Detailed description and figures of SE Bulgaria population given by Pechev et al. (1964). Taxonomic study of Bulgarian samples and comparison with M. personatus provided by Rossolimo (1976 b). Distribution, measurements, and ecological data of Turkish Thrace population recorded by Kurtonur and Özkan (1991). Cranial abnormality in wild Turkish population documented by Kryštufek et al. (2004 b). Phallic and bacular structure and variation reported by Simson et al. (1995). Chromosomal data and analysis given by Civitelli et al. (1995 b). Allozyme variation analyzed by Filippucci and Kotsakis (1995). Comparative behavior and hibernation of wild-caught captives reported by Burulda and Kurtonur (2001).