Gerbillus (Hendecapleura) watersi de Winton 1901

Gerbillus (Hendecapleura) watersi de Winton 1901, Novit. Zool., 8: 399.

Type Locality: Sudan, Upper Nile, Shendi.

Vernacular Names: Waters's Gerbil.

Synonyms: Gerbillus (Hendecapleura) juliani (St. Leger 1935) .

Distribution: Endemic to NE Africa in Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc) as G. juliani and G. watersi .

Discussion: Subgenus Hendecapleura . Listed both as a subspecies of G. nanus or as a valid species by F. Petter (1975 b) in the same report. The species should be considered distinct until revisionary studies advise otherwise (Lay, 1983). Roche and Petter (1968) reviewed juliani under Monodia, but F. Petter (1975 b) later synonymized it with G. watersi without supporting evidence. Roche (1975) provided evidence for uniting juliani with G. watersi, an action endorsed by Pavlinov et al. (1990). Lay (1983), however, recognized juliani as valid pending revision of the genus. Pearch et al. (2001) documented records from Djibouti, provided a good description of the species, comparing it with G. henleyi from the same country. Reviewed by Pavlinov et al. (1990).