Taterillus tranieri Dobigny, Granjon, Aniskin, Ba, and Volobouev 2003

Taterillus tranieri Dobigny, Granjon, Aniskin, Ba, and Volobouev 2003, Mamm. Biol., 68: 301.

Type Locality: W Mali, Dilly (15E01'129'’N, 07E40'084'’W); see Dobigny et al. (2003) for details.

Vernacular Names: Tranieri's Tateril.

Distribution: Recorded from Sahelian savanna of W Mali and SE Mauritania (see Dobigny et al., 2003, for locality coordinates and habitat).

Discussion: Karyotype (2n = 14/15, FNa = 22-24) exhibits the lowest diploid number among gerbillines and differs from its chromosomally closest ally, T. petteri (2n = 18/19, FNa = 28), by "two telomere-telomere translocations accompanied by two centromere activations/inactivations, one non-reciprocal translocation, and three pericentric inversion" (Dobigny et al., 2003:309). No consistent qualitative differences in external and cranial morphological or pelage coloration could be dectected between T. tranieri and four other West African species: T. arenarius, T. gracilis, T. petteri, and T. pygargus .