List of gerbillines

Gerbillinae is a subfamily of mammals in the rodent family Muridae, which in turn is part of the Myomorpha suborder in the order Rodentia. Members of this subfamily are called gerbillines and include gerbils, jirds, and sand rats. They are found in Africa and Asia, primarily in shrublands, grasslands, savannas, and deserts, though some species can be found in forests and coastal areas. They range in size from the pouched gerbil, at 5 cm (2 in) plus a 3 cm (1 in) tail, to the large Aden gerbil, at 22 cm (9 in) plus a 11 cm (4 in) tail. Gerbillines generally eat seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects, as well as grain and other vegetation. Few gerbillines have population estimates, but the western gerbil is categorized as endangered, and Dahl's jird is categorized as critically endangered, with a population of below 2,000.

The 102 extant species of Gerbillinae are divided into 14 genera, with 49—nearly half—in the Gerbillus genus. The Mongolian gerbil, as well as some other species such as the fat-tailed gerbil, are kept as pets.^[1] Several extinct prehistoric gerbilline species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries, the exact number and categorization are not fixed.^[2]

The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the gerbilline's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.

Gerbillinae is a subfamily of the rodent family Muridae consisting of 102 extant species in 14 genera. These genera range in size from 1 to 49 species, with the latter, Gerbillus, making up almost half of the subfamily. This does not include hybrid species or extinct prehistoric species.

Subfamily Gerbillinae

• Genus Ammodillus (ammodile): one species
• Genus Brachiones (Przewalski's gerbil): one species
• Genus Desmodilliscus (pouched gerbil): one species
• Genus Desmodillus (Cape short-eared gerbil): one species
• Genus Gerbilliscus (large naked-soled gerbils): sixteen species
• Genus Gerbillus (northern pygmy gerbils): 49 species
• Genus Meriones (jirds): seventeen species
• Genus Microdillus (Somali pygmy gerbil): one species
• Genus Pachyuromys (fat-tailed gerbil): one species
• Genus Psammomys (sand rats): two species
• Genus Rhombomys (great gerbil): one species
• Genus Sekeetamys (bushy-tailed jird): one species
• Genus Tatera (Indian gerbil): one species
• Genus Taterillus (taterils): nine species

The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.^[4]

Genus Desmodilliscus – Wettstein, 1916 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Pouched gerbil	D. braueri Wettstein, 1916	Western and northern Africa (all colors)	Size: 5–8 cm (2–3 in) long, plus 3–5 cm (1–2 in) tail[8] Habitat: Savanna[10] Diet: Grain[11]	LC  Unknown [10]

Genus Gerbilliscus – Thomas, 1897 – sixteen species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Black-tailed gerbil	G. nigricaudus (Peters, 1878)	Eastern Africa	Size: 13–20 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 17–21 cm (7–8 in) tail[14] Habitat: Shrubland, savanna, and forest[15] Diet: Roots, bulbs, seeds, vegetation, and insects[16]	LC  Unknown [15]
Boehm's gerbil	G. boehmi (Noack, 1887)	Central Africa	Size: 13–18 cm (5–7 in) long, plus 19–23 cm (7–9 in) tail[5] Habitat: Shrubland and savanna[17] Diet: Roots, bulbs, seeds, vegetation, and insects[16]	LC  Unknown [17]
Bushveld gerbil	G. leucogaster (Peters, 1852)	Southern Africa	Size: 8–16 cm (3–6 in) long, plus 12–18 cm (5–7 in) tail[5] Habitat: Grassland, shrubland, savanna, and desert[18] Diet: Roots, bulbs, seeds, vegetation, and insects[16]	LC  Unknown [18]
Bushy-tailed hairy-footed gerbil	G. vallinus Thomas, 1918	Namibia and South Africa	Size: 9–11 cm (4–4 in) long, plus 11–16 cm (4–6 in) tail[14] Habitat: Savanna, grassland, and desert[19] Diet: Seeds[20]	LC  Unknown [19]
Cape gerbil	G. afra (Gray, 1830)	South Africa	Size: 12–16 cm (5–6 in) long, plus 13–18 cm (5–7 in) tail[5] Habitat: Desert and shrubland[21] Diet: Roots, bulbs, seeds, vegetation, and insects[16]	LC  Unknown [21]
Dune hairy-footed gerbil	G. tytonis Bauer & Niethammer, 1960	Namibia	Size: 9–11 cm (4–4 in) long, plus 11–15 cm (4–6 in) tail[5] Habitat: Desert[22] Diet: Seeds[20]	LC  Unknown [22]
Fringe-tailed gerbil	G. robustus (Cretzschmar, 1826)	Eastern Africa	Size: 12–19 cm (5–7 in) long, plus 12–21 cm (5–8 in) tail[14] Habitat: Savanna and grassland[23] Diet: Roots, bulbs, seeds, vegetation, and insects[16]	LC  Unknown [23]
Gorongoza gerbil	G. inclusus (Thomas & Wroughton, 1908)	Southeastern Africa	Size: 15–17 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 13–20 cm (5–8 in) tail[5] Habitat: Savanna[24] Diet: Roots, bulbs, seeds, vegetation, and insects[16]	LC  Unknown [24]
Guinean gerbil	G. guineae (Thomas, 1910)	Western Africa	Size: 10–18 cm (4–7 in) long, plus 15–20 cm (6–8 in) tail[5] Habitat: Savanna, rocky areas, forest, and shrubland[25] Diet: Roots, bulbs, seeds, vegetation, and insects[16]	LC  Unknown [25]
Hairy-footed gerbil	G. paeba Smith, 1836	Southern Africa	Size: 8–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 10–13 cm (4–5 in) tail[14] Habitat: Savanna, desert, and shrubland[26] Diet: Seeds[20]	LC  Unknown [26]
Highveld gerbil	G. brantsii (Smith, 1836)	Southern Africa	Size: 9–17 cm (4–7 in) long, plus 10–19 cm (4–7 in) tail[5] Habitat: Savanna, shrubland, desert, and grassland[27] Diet: Roots, bulbs, seeds, vegetation, and insects[16]	LC  Unknown [27]
Kemp's gerbil	G. kempi (Wroughton, 1906)	Western and central Africa	Size: 14–19 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 14–18 cm (6–7 in) tail[5] Habitat: Savanna, forest, and shrubland[28] Diet: Roots, bulbs, seeds, vegetation, and insects[16]	LC  Unknown [28]
Namib brush-tailed gerbil	G. setzeri Schlitter, 1973	Namibia and Angola	Size: 10–12 cm (4–5 in) long, plus 11–15 cm (4–6 in) tail[14] Habitat: Desert[29] Diet: Seeds[20]	LC  Unknown [29]
Phillips's gerbil	G. phillipsi (De Winton, 1898)	Eastern Africa	Size: 11–15 cm (4–6 in) long, plus 16–19 cm (6–7 in) tail[14] Habitat: Shrubland[30] Diet: Roots, bulbs, seeds, vegetation, and insects[16]	LC  Unknown [30]
Sahelo-Sudanian gerbil	G. gambiana Thomas, 1910	Western Africa	Size: 12–20 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 13–18 cm (5–7 in) tail[5] Habitat: Savanna and forest[31] Diet: Roots, bulbs, seeds, vegetation, and insects[16]	LC  Unknown [31]
Savanna gerbil	G. validus (Bocage, 1890)	Central Africa	Size: 13–20 cm (5–8 in) long, plus 11–19 cm (4–7 in) tail[5] Habitat: Savanna[32] Diet: Roots, bulbs, seeds, vegetation, and insects[16]	LC  Unknown [32]

Genus Gerbillus – Desmarest, 1804 – 49 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Agag gerbil	G. agag Thomas, 1903	Central Africa	Size: 9–14 cm (4–6 in) long, plus 10–15 cm (4–6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Unknown[34] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [34]
Algerian gerbil	G. garamantis (Lataste, 1881)	Northern Africa[36]	Size: 7–8 cm (3–3 in) long, plus about 11 cm (4 in) tail[36] Habitat: Desert, shrubland, and savanna[37] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	NE  Unknown
Anderson's gerbil	G. andersoni De Winton, 1902	Northeastern Africa and western Middle East	Size: 7–12 cm (3–5 in) long, plus 9–14 cm (4–6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Desert and coastal marine[38] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [38]
Balochistan gerbil	G. nanus Blanford, 1875	Northern Africa and western Asia	Size: 7–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 8–15 cm (3–6 in) tail[5] Habitat: Desert, shrubland, and savanna[37] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [37]
Berbera gerbil	G. acticola Thomas, 1918	Somalia	Size: 9–11 cm (4–4 in) long, plus 12–15 cm (5–6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Unknown[39] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [39]
Black-tufted gerbil	G. famulus Yerbury & Thomas, 1895	Yemen	Size: 8–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 12–15 cm (5–6 in) tail[36] Habitat: Desert, shrubland, and savanna[40] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [40]
Botta's gerbil	G. bottai (Lataste, 1882)	Sudan	Size: 8–10 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 10–11 cm (4–4 in) tail[36] Habitat: Unknown[41] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [41]
Brockman's gerbil	G. brockmani (Thomas, 1910)	Somalia	Size: 7–9 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 10–12 cm (4–5 in) tail[36] Habitat: Unknown[42] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [42]
Burton's gerbil	G. burtoni (F. Cuvier, 1838)	Sudan	Size: Unknown[33] Habitat: Unknown[43] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [43]
Cheesman's gerbil	G. cheesmani Thomas, 1919	Middle East	Size: 7–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 9–15 cm (4–6 in) tail[36] Habitat: Shrubland and desert[44] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [44]
Cushioned gerbil	G. pulvinatus Rhoads, 1896	Eastern Africa	Size: 8–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 11–15 cm (4–6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Rocky areas, savanna, desert, grassland, and shrubland[45] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [45]
Darfur gerbil	G. muriculus Thomas & Hinton, 1923	Sudan	Size: About 7 cm (3 in) long, plus about 8 cm (3 in) tail[36] Habitat: Unknown[46] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [46]
Dunn's gerbil	G. dunni Thomas, 1904	Eastern Africa	Size: 9–11 cm (4–4 in) long, plus 13–15 cm (5–6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Desert, rocky areas, grassland, and savanna[47] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [47]
Flower's gerbil	G. floweri (Thomas, 1919)	Egypt	Size: 9–13 cm (4–5 in) long, plus 13–16 cm (5–6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Desert, shrubland, and rocky areas[48] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [48]
Greater Egyptian gerbil	G. pyramidum Geoffroy, 1803	Northern Africa	Size: 10–14 cm (4–6 in) long, plus 12–18 cm (5–7 in) tail[33] Habitat: Desert[49] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [49]
Greater short-tailed gerbil	G. maghrebi (Schlitter & Setzer, 1972)	Morocco	Size: 10–12 cm (4–5 in) long, plus 10–12 cm (4–5 in) tail[36] Habitat: Shrubland and grassland[50] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [50]
Grobben's gerbil	G. grobbeni Klaptocz, 1909	Northern Libya	Size: About 8 cm (3 in) long, plus about 12 cm (5 in) tail[36] Habitat: Coastal marine[51] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [51]
Harrison's gerbil	G. mesopotamiae Harrison, 1956	Middle East	Size: 7–10 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 8–13 cm (3–5 in) tail[36] Habitat: Desert[52] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [52]
Harwood's gerbil	G. harwoodi (Thomas, 1901)	Kenya and Tanzania	Size: 6–9 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 8–12 cm (3–5 in) tail[36] Habitat: Savanna, grassland, and forest[53] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [53]
Hoogstraal's gerbil	G. hoogstraali (Lay, 1975)	Morocco	Size: 8–10 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 10–13 cm (4–5 in) tail[33] Habitat: Desert and coastal marine[54] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	VU  Unknown [54]
Indian hairy-footed gerbil	G. gleadowi (Murray, 1886)	Pakistan and India	Size: 7–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 11–15 cm (4–6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Desert[55] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [55]
James's gerbil	G. jamesi (Harrison, 1867)	Tunisia	Size: About 8 cm (3 in) long, plus about 11 cm (4 in) tail[36] Habitat: Unknown[56] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [56]
Khartoum gerbil	G. stigmonyx (Heuglin, 1877)	Sudan	Size: 8–10 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 9–11 cm (4–4 in) tail[36] Habitat: Shrubland, rocky areas, and grassland[57] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [57]
Large Aden gerbil	G. poecilops Yerbury & Thomas, 1895	Western Saudi Arabia and western Yemen	Size: 15–22 cm (6–9 in) long, plus 7–11 cm (3–4 in) tail[5] Habitat: Shrubland and desert[58] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [58]
Lataste's gerbil	G. latastei Thomas, 1903	Tunisia	Size: 9–12 cm (4–5 in) long, plus 11–15 cm (4–6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Shrubland and desert[59] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [59]
Least gerbil	G. pusillus Peters, 1878	Eastern Africa	Size: 5–8 cm (2–3 in) long, plus 8–12 cm (3–5 in) tail[5] Habitat: Grassland, rocky areas, and shrubland[60] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [60]
Lesser Egyptian gerbil	G. gerbillus (Olivier, 1801)	Northern Africa	Size: 7–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 9–14 cm (4–6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Coastal marine and desert[61] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [61]
Lesser short-tailed gerbil	G. simoni Lataste, 1881	Northern Africa	Size: 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, plus 5–10 cm (2–4 in) tail[36] Habitat: Shrubland[62] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [62]
Lowe's gerbil	G. lowei (Thomas & Hinton, 1923)	Western Sudan	Size: 8–12 cm (3–5 in) long, plus 14–16 cm (6–6 in) tail[36] Habitat: Rocky areas[63] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [63]
Mackilligin's gerbil	G. mackilligini (Thomas, 1904)	Southern Egypt and Northern Sudan	Size: 7–9 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 9–14 cm (4–6 in) tail[36] Habitat: Desert and shrubland[64] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [64]
Mauritanian gerbil	G. mauritaniae Heim de Balsac, 1943	Northern Mauritania[36]	Size: About 6 cm (2 in) long, plus about 8 cm (3 in) tail[36] Habitat: Savanna and grassland[65] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	NE  Unknown
Nigerian gerbil	G. nigeriae Thomas & Hinton, 1920	Western Mauritania	Size: 7–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 10–16 cm (4–6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Savanna, grassland, desert, and shrubland[66] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [66]
North African gerbil	G. campestris Loche, 1867	Northern Africa	Size: 9–12 cm (4–5 in) long, plus 11–16 cm (4–6 in) tail[36] Habitat: Rocky areas and desert[67] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [67]
Occidental gerbil	G. occiduus Lay, 1975	Morocco	Size: 7–10 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 9–13 cm (4–5 in) tail[33] Habitat: Coastal marine and desert[68] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [68]
Pale gerbil	G. perpallidus Setzer, 1958	Northern Egypt	Size: 9–13 cm (4–5 in) long, plus 13–16 cm (5–6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Coastal marine and desert[69] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [69]
Pleasant gerbil	G. amoenus (De Winton, 1902)	Scattered northern Africa	Size: 7–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 9–15 cm (4–6 in) tail[36] Habitat: Savanna, desert, and coastal marine[70] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [70]
Principal gerbil	G. principulus Thomas & Hinton, 1923	Western Sudan	Size: About 7 cm (3 in) long, plus about 12 cm (5 in) tail[36] Habitat: Grassland and shrubland[71] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [71]
Pygmy gerbil	G. henleyi De Winton, 1903	Northern Africa and Middle East	Size: 5–8 cm (2–3 in) long, plus 7–11 cm (3–4 in) tail[5] Habitat: Desert, shrubland, and rocky areas[72] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [72]
Rosalinda gerbil	G. rosalinda St. Leger, 1929	Sudan	Size: 8–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 10–13 cm (4–5 in) tail[33] Habitat: Grassland[73] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [73]
Rupicolous gerbil	G. rupicola (Granjon, Aniskin, Volobouev, & Sicard, 2002)	Mali	Size: 9–11 cm (4–4 in) long, plus 13–15 cm (5–6 in) tail[36] Habitat: Savanna and rocky areas[74] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [74]
Sand gerbil	G. syrticus (Misonne, 1974)	Northeastern Libya[5]	Size: About 5 cm (2 in) long, plus about 5 cm (2 in) tail[5] Habitat: Desert, shrubland, and rocky areas[72] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	NE  Unknown
Somalian gerbil	G. somalicus (Thomas, 1910)	Eastern Africa	Size: 8–9 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 11–13 cm (4–5 in) tail[36] Habitat: Grassland, desert, and shrubland[75] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [75]
Sudan gerbil	G. nancillus Thomas & Hinton, 1923	Northern Africa	Size: 5–7 cm (2–3 in) long, plus 7–9 cm (3–4 in) tail[36] Habitat: Savanna and grassland[65] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	DD  Unknown [65]
Swarthy gerbil	G. aquilus Schlitter & Setzer, 1972	West-central Asia	Size: 9–11 cm (4–4 in) long, plus 12–16 cm (5–6 in) tail[36] Habitat: Grassland and forest[76] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [76]
Tarabul's gerbil	G. tarabuli (Thomas, 1902)	Northwestern Africa	Size: 8–12 cm (3–5 in) long, plus 10–16 cm (4–6 in) tail[33] Habitat: Desert, coastal marine, and savanna[77] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [77]
Vivacious gerbil	G. vivax (Thomas, 1902)	Northern Africa and western Asia[36]	Size: About 8 cm (3 in) long, plus about 11 cm (4 in) tail[36] Habitat: Desert, shrubland, savanna, and coastal marine[37][70] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	NE  Unknown
Wagner's gerbil	G. dasyurus (Wagner, 1842)	Egypt and Middle East	Size: 7–11 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 8–14 cm (3–6 in) tail[36] Habitat: Rocky areas, desert, and shrubland[78] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [78]
Waters's gerbil	G. watersi De Winton, 1901	Sudan and Egypt	Size: 7–10 cm (3–4 in) long, plus 9–13 cm (4–5 in) tail[36] Habitat: Shrubland, desert, and grassland[79] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	LC  Unknown [79]
Western gerbil	G. hesperinus Cabrera, 1936	Morocco	Size: 9–12 cm (4–5 in) long, plus 9–12 cm (4–5 in) tail[33] Habitat: Coastal marine[80] Diet: Seeds, roots, nuts, grass, and insects[35]	EN  Unknown [80]