Gerbillus (Gerbillus) cheesmani Thomas 1919

Gerbillus (Gerbillus) cheesmani Thomas 1919, J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 26: 748.

Type Locality: Iraq, Lower Euphrates, near Basra.

Vernacular Names: Cheesman's Gerbil.

Synonyms: Gerbillus (Gerbillus) arduus Cheesman and Hinton 1924; Gerbillus (Gerbillus) maritimus Sanborn and Hoogstraal 1953 .

Distribution: SW Iran, C and S Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman, North Yemen, South Yemen, and Kuwait (see Al-Jumaily, 1998; Harrison and Bates, 1991; Lay and Nadler, 1975), and S Jordan (Qumsiyeh, 1996).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: Subgenus Gerbillus . Reviewed by Lay and Nadler (1975), Lay (1983), Harrison and Bates (1991), and Pavlinov et al. (1990). Chromosomal polymorphism among samples from Kuwait was reported by Badr and Asker (1980). Detailed comparisons between Qatarian G. cheesmani and G. nanus in cranial morphology discussed by Madkour (1984).