Gerbillus (Gerbillus) hesperinus Cabrera 1936

Gerbillus (Gerbillus) hesperinus Cabrera 1936, Bol. Real. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat.: 365.

Type Locality: Morocco, Mogador (= Essouira).

Vernacular Names: Moroccan Gerbil.

Distribution: Coastal Morocco north of High Atlas Mtns (see Aulagnier and Thevenot, 1986).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Gerbillus . See the references cited by Lay (1983) for characters defining this distinctive Moroccan endemic. Lay (1975) also documented the striking morphological and chromosomal contrasts between G. hesperinus and Moroccan G. hoogstraali and G. occiduus . Also reviewed by Aulagnier and Thevenot (1986) and Pavlinov et al. (1990).