NRLD - 329990 | Acomys dimidiatus

Assessment ID

329990

Taxon name

Acomys dimidiatus

(Cretzschmar, 1826)

Uploaded by

National Red List Database

Taxonomic information

Scientific name

Acomys dimidiatus

(Cretzschmar, 1826)

Assessed taxon level

Species

Higher level taxonomic groupings

Vertebrates

Mammals

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

chordata

Class

mammalia

Order

rodentia

Family

muridae

Genus

Acomys

Species

dimidiatus

Species authority

(Cretzschmar, 1826)

Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed

Formerly considered a subspecies of Acomys cahirinus. See Musser and Carleton (2005) for details concerning the relationship between Acomys dimidiatus and A. cahirinus.

Location and scope

Specific locality or subnational name or regional name

United Arab Emirates (the)

Scope (of the Assessment)

National

Countries included within the scope of the assessment

United Arab Emirates (the)

Country ISO code(s)

ARE

Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?

Not_assigned

Conservation Status

Assessed as

Near threatened

Abbreviated status

Qualifying criteria (if given)

B1b(iii)

Criteria system used

IUCN

(see Assessment details)

Assessment rationale/justification

Within the UAE, this species is restricted to rocky areas, primarily the Hajar Mountains, Jebel Hafeet and Qarn Nazwa. The extent of occurrence (EOO) is just over 6,000 km<sup>2</sup>, there is a continuing decline in the extent and quality of habitat due to a variety of threats, however, the number of locations is more than ten and the range is not severely fragmented, so it is assessed as Near Threatened (close to qualifying for a threatened category under criterion B1ab(iii)). There might be some rescue effect from populations in adjoining countries, particularly Oman, but this is not thought to be significant hence the regional assessment is not adjusted.

Assessment details

Year assessed

2018

Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed

UAE National Red List Workshop

Criteria system used

IUCN

Reference for methods given

IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.

URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication

https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true

Further information

Endemism (according to assessment)

Endemic to region

Not assigned

Taxon distribution as listed in assessment

This species was first recorded for the UAE in 1971 at Jebel Faiyah, Sharjah, and then again in 1991 when a dead specimen was found by a road near Ghayl, Ra's al Khaimah. Subsequent surveys have shown that this species is quite widespread and numerous through the Hajar Mountains at lower elevations, particularly where Acacia tortilis is present. The species is also found on Jebel Hafeet, where it occurs at all elevations including barren rocks near the summit (Aspinall et al. 2005). It has also been recorded at several sites in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK Nature pers. comm. 2018) and on Qarn Nazwa in Dubai Emirate. Globally, this species is distributed from the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt through much of the Arabian Peninsula to Iran and southern Pakistan (Cassola 2016a).

Is there a map available in assessment?

Yes

Habitat and systems

Ecological system type

Terrestrial

Not_assigned

Freshwater

Not_assigned

Marine

Not_assigned

Habitat

Habitat details as listed in assessment

Predominantly crepuscular and nocturnal and prefers all kinds of rocky habitats (Harrison and Bates 1991). Found on boulder-strewn slopes and rocky terrain where it lives in crevices among boulders (Cunningham 2008) and in wadi beds in Wadi Wurayah (Judas 2016). In a community structure study of Jebel Al Jais in Ras Al Khaimah Emirate, the species was recorded at elevations ranging from 450-“1,650 m, was most abundant in the wadi area around 450 m, and its abundance declined with increasing altitude (Melville and Chaber 2016). It was trapped at around 180 m asl on he outlying hill of Jebel Nazwa (Qarn Nazwa) in 2018 (J. Judas pers. comm. 2018). This species is omnivorous (Melville and Chaber 2016). There is evidence from trapping surveys that the Arabian Spiny Mouse is more susceptible than other small mammal species to disturbance and fragmentation (B. Howarth pers. comm. 2018).

Threats and conservation measures listed

Threats listed in assessment

Overgazing, quarrying, road construction and other development activities in the mountains result in habitat loss and degradation and increased fragmentation. Species in the mountains may also be affected indirectly by falling water tables due to over-abstraction and reduced precipitation. An increase in numbers of feral cats and Red Foxes may also pose a threat to all small mammals.

History

The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Near Threatened (almost meets a threatened listing under criterion B1ab(iii)) which matches the listing given by Hornby (1996).

Publication

UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial

Mallon, D., Hilton-Taylor, C., Allen, D., & Harding, K. (2019). UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial. A report to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates (p. 41). IUCN Global Species Programme. https://bit.ly/2RdZCQR