Meriones arimalius | UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial

Taxa
Meriones arimalius | Cheesman & Hinton, 1924
Publication
UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Mammals
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
This information is taken from Musser and Carleton (2005). Ellerman and Morrison-Scott (1951) listed M. arimalius as a valid species, but it was later included in M. libycus (Corbet, 1978, Harrison and Bates 1991). Pavlinov et al. (1990) reinstated arimalius as a separate species and reviewed its salient characters. Even from the terse description of its diagnostic traits provided by Harrison and Bates (1991), who recognized the form as a subspecies of M. libycus, it is evident that arimalius is morphologically different from populations of lybicus north of it in Saudi Arabia. The species was also considered distinct by Nadler and Lay (1967).
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
This species was formerly regarded as a subspecies of Meriones libycus, with the type locality at Jabrin, Saudi Arabia and distribution restricted to the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula, in Oman, UAE and parts of Saudi Arabia (Harrison and Bates 1991). Specimens have been recorded at a point along the Abu Dhabi-Buraimi road and Jebel Faiyah, Fujairah (Harrison and Bates 1991) and Sweihan, Umm Al Zummoul, and Al Khatam in Abu Dhabi (Drew and Tourenq 2005). It occurs around Al Ain and is often seen on spotlight surveys around the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife, Sharjah. It may occur more widely across the UAE. Casola (2016b) restricted M. arimalius to the Rub Al Khali of Oman and Saudi Arabia, stating that it may also occur in southern UAE, but this disregards the records reported above from the UAE sector of the Rub Al Khali and localities farther north. So far, all published specimens from UAE have been identified as M. arimalius, and only this species is mapped here. However, the possibility that M. lybicus also occurs in the country cannot be completely excluded.
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Occurs in gravel and stabilised sand deserts, making its colonies around vegetated hummocks (Aspinall et al. 2005).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Least concern
Assessment status abreviation
LC
Assessment rationale/justification
Although the identity of records requires confirmation, the species is assessed as Least Concern because it is common and probably widespread and there are no reports of a decline. There is no need for any adjustment of the regional category.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2018
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
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
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Overgrazing, especially by camels, has caused extensive habitat degradation outside protected areas. An increase in numbers of feral cats and increase in Red Fox range and numbers may also be having an impact on small mammals.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Least Concern which matches the listing given by Hornby (1996).
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Meriones arimalius Animalia Chordata Mammalia Rodentia Muridae Meriones