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Sample records for gerbillinae

  1. Cricetidae: Gerbillinae

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    in the western Transvaal and north-western and south-eastern Free State ... The breeding and behaviour of one pair of D. auricularis and their litters was studied ..... This work was done at the South Mrican Institute for Medical Research and I ...

  2. African Zoology - Vol 8, No 2 (1973)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Behaviour and Breeding in Captivity of the Namaqua Gerbil Desmodillus Auricularis (Cricetidae: Gerbillinae) · EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL ... Evidence for Thermoregulation in the Tortoise Chersine Angulata · EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD ...

  3. Multilocus phylogeny of East African gerbils (Rodentia, Gerbilliscus) illuminates the history of the Somali-Masai savanna

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Aghová, T.; Šumbera, R.; Piálek, L.; Mikula, Ondřej; McDonough, M. M.; Lavrenchenko, L. A.; Meheretu, Y.; Mbau, J. S.; Bryja, J.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 44, č. 10 (2017), s. 2295-2307 ISSN 0305-0270 Institutional support: RVO:67985904 Keywords : biogeography * Gerbillinae * historical DNA * murid rodents * phylogeography Subject RIV: EA - Cell Biology OBOR OECD: Biology (theoretical, mathematical, thermal, cryobiology, biological rhythm), Evolutionary biology Impact factor: 4.248, year: 2016

  4. Karyotypes of three gerbil species of the genera Tatera and Gerbilliscus from Turkey and Senegal

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Arslan, A.; Zima, Jan; Koubínová, D.; Yorulmaz, T.; Toyran, K.; Gözütok, S.

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 9, č. 1 (2013), s. 57-62 ISSN 1584-9074 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA6093404; GA MŠk LC06073 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : cytogenetics * taxonomy * Gerbillinae * Asia Minor * western Africa Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 0.700, year: 2013 http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/1/6/1683128/Nwjz/vol9/nwjz.131701.Arslan.pdf

  5. Multilocus phylogeny of East African gerbils (Rodentia, Gerbilliscus) illuminates the history of the Somali-Masai savanna

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Aghová, Tatiana; Šumbera, R.; Piálek, L.; Mikula, Ondřej; McDonough, M. M.; Lavrenchenko, L. A.; Meheretu, Y.; Mbau, J. S.; Bryja, Josef

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 44, č. 10 (2017), s. 2295-2307 ISSN 0305-0270 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP506/10/0983; GA ČR GA15-20229S Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : biogeography * Gerbillinae * historical DNA * murid rodents * phylogeography * Plio-Pleistocene climate change * pyrosequencing * Rift Valley * species delimitation * tropical Africa Subject RIV: EG - Zoology OBOR OECD: Ecology Impact factor: 4.248, year: 2016

  6. Evolutionary history of the most speciose mammals: molecular phylogeny of muroid rodents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michaux, J; Reyes, A; Catzeflis, F

    2001-11-01

    Phylogenetic relationships between 32 species of rodents representing 14 subfamilies of Muridae and four subfamilies of Dipodidae were studied using sequences of the nuclear protein-coding genes Lecithin Cholesterol Acyl Transferase (LCAT) and von Willebrand Factor (vWF). An examination of some evolutionary properties of each data matrix indicates that the two genes are rather complementary, with lower rates of nonsynonymous substitutions for LCAT. Both markers exhibit a wide range of GC3 percentages (55%-89%), with several taxa above 70% GC3 for vWF, which indicates that those exonic regions might belong to the richest class of isochores. The primary sequence data apparently harbor few saturations, except for transitions on third codon positions for vWF, as indicated by comparisons of observed and expected pairwise values of substitutions. Phylogenetic trees based on 1,962 nucleotidic sites from the two genes indicate that the 14 Muridae subfamilies are organized into five major lineages. An early isolation leads to the clade uniting the fossorial Spalacinae and semifossorial Rhizomyinae with a strong robustness. The second lineage includes a series of African taxa representing nesomyines, dendromurines, cricetomyines, and the sole living member of mystromyines. The third one comprises only the mouselike hamster CALOMYSCUS: The fourth clade represents the cricetines, myospalacines, sigmodontines, and arvicolines, whereas the fifth one comprises four "traditional" subfamilies (Gerbillinae, Murinae, Otomyinae, and Acomyinae). Within these groups, we confirm the monophyly of almost all studied subfamilies, namely, Spalacinae, Rhizomyinae, Nesomyinae, Cricetomyinae, Arvicolinae, Sigmodontinae, Cricetinae, Gerbillinae, Acomyinae, and Murinae. Finally, we present evidence that the sister group of Acomyinae is Gerbillinae, and we confirm a nested position of Myospalacinae within Cricetinae and Otomyinae within Murinae. From a biogeographical point of view, the five main

  7. Natural Intestinal Protozoa in Rodents (Rodentia: Gerbillinae, Murinae, Cricetinae in Northwestern Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehdi MOHEBALI

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Majority of parasitic infections in rodents have zoonotic importance. This study aimed to determine the frequency and intensity of intestinal protozoa infections of rodents including Meriones persicus, Mus musculus and, Cricetulus migratorius.Methods: This survey was conducted in Meshkin Shahr district in northwestern Iran from Mar. to Dec. of 2014. Intestinal samples of 204 rodents including M. persicus (n=117, M. musculus (n=63 and C. migratorius (n=24 were parasitologically examined. Formalin-ether concentration method was done for all of rodents stool samples and observed with light microscope. All of suspected cases were stained with trichorome staining Method. Cultivation in dichromate potassium 2.5% was carried out for all of coccidian positive samples. Acid fast and aniline blue staining methods were used for detecting of coccidian oocysts and intestinal microsporidial spores, respectively.Results: About 121(59.3% of the caught rodents were generally infected with intestinal protozoa. Entamoeba muris 14(6.9%, Trichomonas muris 55(27.0%, Chilomastix betencourtti 17 (8.3%, Giardia muris 19(9.3%, Eimeria spp. 46(22.5%, Isospora spp. 4(2% and Cryptosporidium spp. 1(0.5% were found from the collected rodents. Microsporidian spores were identified in 63 (31% out of the 204 collected rodents using aniline blue staining method.Conclusion: Since some of the infections are zoonotic importance thus, control of rodents can be decreased new cases of the parasitic zoonoses in humans.

  8. Natural Intestinal Protozoa in Rodents (Rodentia: Gerbillinae, Murinae, Cricetinae) in Northwestern Iran

    Science.gov (United States)

    MOHEBALI, Mehdi; ZAREI, Zabiholah; Khanaliha, Khadijeh; KIA, Eshrat Beigom; MOTAVALLI-HAGHI, Afsaneh; DAVOODI, Jaber; REZAEIAN, Tahereh; TARIGHI, Fathemeh; REZAEIAN, Mostafa

    2017-01-01

    Background: Majority of parasitic infections in rodents have zoonotic importance. This study aimed to determine the frequency and intensity of intestinal protozoa infections of rodents including Meriones persicus, Mus musculus and, Cricetulus migratorius. Methods: This survey was conducted in Meshkin Shahr district in northwestern Iran from Mar. to Dec. of 2014. Intestinal samples of 204 rodents including M. persicus (n=117), M. musculus (n=63) and C. migratorius (n=24) were parasitologically examined. Formalin-ether concentration method was done for all of rodents stool samples and observed with light microscope. All of suspected cases were stained with trichorome staining Method. Cultivation in dichromate potassium 2.5% was carried out for all of coccidian positive samples. Acid fast and aniline blue staining methods were used for detecting of coccidian oocysts and intestinal microsporidial spores, respectively. Results: About 121(59.3%) of the caught rodents were generally infected with intestinal protozoa. Entamoeba muris 14(6.9%), Trichomonas muris 55(27.0%), Chilomastix betencourtti 17 (8.3%), Giardia muris 19(9.3%), Eimeria spp. 46(22.5%), Isospora spp. 4(2%) and Cryptosporidium spp. 1(0.5%) were found from the collected rodents. Microsporidian spores were identified in 63 (31%) out of the 204 collected rodents using aniline blue staining method. Conclusion: Since some of the infections are zoonotic importance thus, control of rodents can be decreased new cases of the parasitic zoonoses in humans. PMID:28979348

  9. Analysis of the modern distribution of South African Gerbilliscus (Rodentia: Gerbillinae with implications for Plio-Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental reconstruction

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    Justin K. Williams

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available There are four extant species of Gerbilliscus, formally classified as Tatera, native to the southern African subregion, each exhibiting varying degrees of environmental tolerance. These species are also routinely reported from many of the palaeontological and archaeological sites in the region. We used a geographic information systems analysis to examine the distribution of modern Gerbilliscus by georeferencing museum specimens. The distribution of Gerbilliscus was then compared to the latest treatment of the vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland in order to quantify the genus’s environmental tolerances and propose a new niche model for this taxon. Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions are made possible by defining the tolerance limits of modern taxa that have persisted relatively unchanged throughout the Plio-Pleistocene. Tolerance limits can then be applied to fossil-bearing localities where these taxa are known to have occurred in the past. Results from our analysis indicated that Gerbilliscus exhibits a wide range of environmental tolerances that must be considered when reconstructing palaeoenvironments.

  10. Two new species of Eimeria Schneider, 1875 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from Gerbilliscus guineae Thomas (Rodentia: Gerbillinae) in the Niokolo Koba National Park, Senegal

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Modrý, David; Petrželková, Klára Judita; Jirků, Miloslav; Koubek, Petr

    2008-01-01

    Roč. 71, č. 3 (2008), s. 223-228 ISSN 0165-5752 R&D Projects: GA ČR GD524/03/H133; GA ČR GA524/03/1548; GA AV ČR IAA6093403 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518; CEZ:AV0Z60930519 Keywords : Coccidia * Eimeriidae * rodent Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 0.927, year: 2008

  11. Demography, reproductive biology and diet of the bushveld gerbil Tatera leucogaster (Rodentia: Gerbillinae) in the Lake Rukwa valley, southwestern Tanzania

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Odhiambo, Richgard O.; Makundi, Rhodes H.; Leirs, Herwig

    2008-01-01

    Seasonal abundance, reproductive biology and feeding ecology of the bushveld gerbil Tatera leucogaster (Peters, 1852) were investigated in small-scale maize field-fallow land mosaics in south-western Tanzania. The gerbils were collected over a 2-year period using Sherman live and Victor hold......-fast snap traps in permanent 4.5-ha grids. A total of 664 individuals were captured over 13 650 trap nights, giving an overall trap success rate of 4.9%. Trap success varied between seasons with and without crops in the field but not between habitat types. At this site, the breeding activity of this species...

  12. Phylogeny and divergence-date estimates of rapid radiations in muroid rodents based on multiple nuclear genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steppan, Scott; Adkins, Ronald; Anderson, Joel

    2004-08-01

    The muroid rodents are the largest superfamily of mammals, containing nearly one third of all mammal species. We report on a phylogenetic study comprising 53 genera sequenced for four nuclear genes, GHR, BRCA1, RAG1, and c-myc, totaling up to 6400 nucleotides. Most relationships among the subfamilies are resolved. All four genes yield nearly identical phylogenies, differing only in five key regions, four of which may represent particularly rapid radiations. Support is very strong for a fundamental division of the mole rats of the subfamilies Spalacinae and Rhizomyinae from all other muroids. Among the other "core" muroids, a rapid radiation led to at least four distinct lineages: Asian Calomyscus, an African clade of at least four endemic subfamilies, including the diverse Nesomyinae of Madagascar, a hamster clade with maximum diversity in the New World, and an Old World clade including gerbils and the diverse Old World mice and rats (Murinae). The Deomyinae, recently removed from the Murinae, is well supported as the sister group to the gerbils (Gerbillinae). Four key regions appear to represent rapid radiations and, despite a large amount of sequence data, remain poorly resolved: the base of the "core" muroids, among the five cricetid (hamster) subfamilies, within a large clade of Sigmodontinae endemic to South America, and among major geographic lineages of Old World Murinae. Because of the detailed taxon sampling within the Murinae, we are able to refine the fossil calibration of a rate-smoothed molecular clock and apply this clock to date key events in muroid evolution. We calculate rate differences among the gene regions and relate those differences to relative contribution of each gene to the support for various nodes. The among-gene variance in support is greatest for the shortest branches. We present a revised classification for this largest but most unsettled mammalian superfamily.

  13. Taphonomy and palaeoecology of the late Pleistocene to middle Holocene small mammal succession of El Harhoura 2 cave (Rabat-Témara, Morocco).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stoetzel, Emmanuelle; Marion, Lucile; Nespoulet, Roland; El Hajraoui, Mohammed Abdeljalil; Denys, Christiane

    2011-01-01

    The relationship between local and global climatic variations and the origin and dispersal of Homo sapiens in Africa is complex, and North Africa may have played a major role in these events. In Morocco, very few studies are specifically dedicated to small fossil vertebrates, and neither taphonomic nor palaeoecological studies have been undertaken on these taxa, particularly in archaeological contexts. The late Pleistocene to middle Holocene succession of El Harhoura 2 cave, situated in the region of Témara, yields an exceptionally rich small vertebrate assemblage. We present the results of a first systematic, taphonomic, and palaeoecological study of the small mammals from Levels 1 to 8 of El Harhoura 2. The absence of bone sorting and polishing, as well as the presence of significant traces of digestion indicate that the small mammal bones were accumulated in the cave by predators and that no water transport occurred. Other traces observed on the surface of bones consist mainly of root marks and black traces (micro-organisms or more probably manganese) which affected the majority of the material. The percentage of fragmentation is very high in all stratigraphic levels, and the post-depositional breakage (geologic and anthropogenic phenomena) obscure the original breakage patterns of bones by predators. According to the ecology of the different species present in the levels of El Harhoura 2, and by taking into account possible biases highlighted by the taphonomic analysis, we reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental evolution in the region. For quantitative reconstructions we used two indices: the Taxonomic Habitat Index (THI) and the Gerbillinae/Murinae ratio. Late Pleistocene accumulations were characterised by a succession of humid (Levels 3, 4a, 6, and 8) and arid (Levels 2?, 5, and 7) periods, with more or less open landscapes, ending in an ultimate humid and wooded period during the middle Holocene (Level 1). We discuss particular limits of our results and

  14. Systematics and evolution of the Meriones shawii/grandis complex (Rodentia, Gerbillinae) during the Late Quaternary in northwestern Africa: Exploring the role of environmental and anthropogenic changes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stoetzel, Emmanuelle; Cornette, Raphaël; Lalis, Aude; Nicolas, Violaine; Cucchi, Thomas; Denys, Christiane

    2017-05-01

    Rodents of the Meriones shawii/grandis complex have been attested to in North Africa since the Middle Pleistocene and are abundant in archaeological sites. Today, they are widely spread and represent a major pest to local human populations. This complex, therefore, represents an accurate model for investigating the roles of climate change and human impact in shaping Quaternary faunal diversity and distribution. Many gray areas still exist regarding the systematics, ecology and geographical distribution of this complex, for both present and past populations. The purpose of this study is to compare modern genotyped and fossil Meriones specimens in order to 1) clarify the current systematics and distribution of the Meriones populations of the shawii/grandis complex, 2) document the taxonomic diversity in fossil Meriones from northwestern Africa, and 3) track their phenotypic and biogeographic evolution through time. To answer these questions we used geometric morphometrics on skulls (landmarks) and first upper molars (landmarks and sliding landmarks). We evidenced the existence of two morpho-groups within the M. shawii/grandis complex, with a clear geographic pattern (M. grandis in Morocco vs. M. shawii in Algeria and Tunisia). Currently only one morpho-group, attributed to M. grandis, seems to exist in Morocco, with a small overlap with M. shawii in the most eastern part of the country. However, according to fossil data, M. shawii was also present in Atlantic Morocco during the Late Pleistocene. We have also highlighted the impact of Holocene climate change and habitat anthropization on this arid adapted group. During the Middle Holocene, a major climatic event (last interglacial optimum) seems to have induced a demographic collapse in Moroccan populations and the disappearance of the shawii clade from Morocco (except in the most eastern areas). Both species then re-expanded, benefitting from the increasing aridity and the new ecological niche driven by agriculture dispersal from the Neolithic onwards.

  15. Using of microvertebrate remains in reconstruction of late quaternary (Holocene paleoclimate, Eastern Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mansour Aliabadian

    2015-09-01

    when possible , with the aid of measuring microscope having accuracy 0.001 mm. One of the main goals of the detailed analysis on dental remains is obtaining the changes of teeth size during time and space (Mashkour and Hashemi 2008 . KS remains were recovered out by water sieving a column of three geological sieves with decreasing size of the mesh from top to bottom: 1 cm, 0.5 cm and 0.2 cm. Furthermore, all obtained information, which depending on the type of the skeletal remains has been entered in tables of excel for statistical analysis. Combination of morphometric with morphological studies and their identification keys were used to identify of the remains. Based on these methods, known examples in both archeological sites were belonging to Gerbillinae and Tatera indica species .     Discussion of Results & Conclusions   The effect of climate change on Tatera indica species was found for the first time in 1973 in the western regions of Iran and Dehloran plain (10,000-3800 years ago (Redding 1978 . This region has 200 to 399 mm of rainfall per year rivers, streams, marshes and channels which represents wet conditions in most of the year. In this area, in addition of Tatera indica species, Nesokia indica, Mus musculus, Gerbillus nanus and Meriones crassus were identified. The remains of Tatera indica species with Nesokia and Mus were found also in Shahre shoukhteh in Sistan which wa s reported approximately 6000 years ago (Chaline and Helmer 1974 . Presence of Tatera indica in KS site and also in other central, western, southwestern and eastern Iran during the mid to late Holocene can be show that climatic and environmental conditions in the southern half part of the country has not changed from 9000 years to recent (Alley et al. 1997 .   Finding the dental and cranial remains of Tatera indica in TN of Mashhad and in another archeological site such as Kohandejh in north east of Iran (Nishapur can be indicate the change climate probably was intense in

  16. Using of microvertebrate remains in reconstruction of late quaternary (Holocene paleoclimate, Eastern Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Narges Hashemi

    2015-10-01

    possible , with the aid of measuring microscope having accuracy 0.001 mm. One of the main goals of the detailed analysis on dental remains is obtaining the changes of teeth size during time and space (Mashkour and Hashemi 2008 . KS remains were recovered out by water sieving a column of three geological sieves with decreasing size of the mesh from top to bottom: 1 cm, 0.5 cm and 0.2 cm. Furthermore, all obtained information, which depending on the type of the skeletal remains has been entered in tables of excel for statistical analysis. Combination of morphometric with morphological studies and their identification keys were used to identify of the remains. Based on these methods, known examples in both archeological sites were belonging to Gerbillinae and Tatera indica species .     Discussion of Results & Conclusions   The effect of climate change on Tatera indica species was found for the first time in 1973 in the western regions of Iran and Dehloran plain (10,000-3800 years ago (Redding 1978 . This region has 200 to 399 mm of rainfall per year; rivers, streams, marshes and channels which represents wet conditions in most of the year. In this area, in addition of Tatera indica species, Nesokia indica, Mus musculus, Gerbillus nanus and Meriones crassus were identified. The remains of Tatera indica species with Nesokia and Mus were found also in Shahre shoukhteh in Sistan which wa s reported approximately 6000 years ago (Chaline and Helmer 1974 . Presence of Tatera indica in KS site and also in other central, western, southwestern and eastern Iran during the mid to late Holocene can be show that climatic and environmental conditions in the southern half part of the country has not changed from 9000 years to recent (Alley et al. 1997 .   Finding the dental and cranial remains of Tatera indica in TN of Mashhad and in another archeological site such as Kohandejh in north east of Iran (Nishapur can be indicate the change climate probably was intense in 2,000 years ago in