UiMlVLRSiTY Or ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT BIOLOGY i The Library of the / MAR 14 1978 I 1 1 L U \ /\ r\l A University of Illinoil __ *t Urbana-ChamWiiR Zoology Published by Field Museum of Natural History Volume 72, No. 5 January 27, 1978 A New Species ofAllactaga (Rodentia: Dipodidae) from Iran DANIEL R. WOMOCHEL DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCES TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY INTRODUCTION Among the rodents collected by the W. S. and J. K. Street Expe- dition to Iran in 1968, co-sponsored by Field Museum of Natural History and the Iran Game and Fish Department, are four jerboas collected near the village of Shah Reza, Isfahan Province, that represent an unrecognized species. The new species is described here and its relationships with other dipodids are considered. METHODS AND MATERIALS All skin measurements were taken according to the American system. Skull measurements were taken with dial calipers to the nearest tenth millimeter. The length of the tooth rows was meas- ured at the alveolar level. The premolars were measured at the widest place between the occlusal surface to the teeth and the top of the alveolus. SYSTEMATICS Allactaga firouzi, new species Holotype. — FMNH 112348, adult female, skin and skull from 18 miles S. Shah Reza (32°02'N, 51°50'E), elev. 2,253 m., Isfahan Pro- vince, Iran; collected 2 October 1968 by members of the Street Expedition; field number 4706. ,.„., BIOLOGY LIBRARY us ISSN 0015.0754 MAtf « 6 1978 101 BURRILL HAUi Publication 1275 65 66 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 72 Measurements (in mm.) of the holotype. — Total length, 295; tail length, 189; hind foot length, 62; ear length, 43; mandible length, 17.1; greatest length of skull, 29.2; condylobasal length, 27.6; zygomatic breadth, 20.6; interorbital constriction, 8.4; brain- case width, 15.8; nasal length, 10.8; incisive foramina length, 5.9; palatal length, 15.3; length of maxillary tooth row, 5.0; length of maxillary tooth row excluding P4, 4.7; diastema length, 8.6; length of mandibular tooth row, 5.4; upper premolar transverse diameter, 0.3. Selected measurements (in mm.) of the holotype and the para- types presented in Table I. TABLE 1. Selected measurements in millimeters ofAllactaga firouzi. The characters chosen are those which best separate the new species from the other species in this genus. 112348 112349 112350 112351 Total length 295 293 319 295 Tail length 189 174 199 183 Hind foot length 62 58 58 60 Ear length 43 42 44 46 Length of maxillary tooth row 5.0 5.1 5.3 5.2 Length of maxillary tooth without P4 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.6 Length of nasals 10.8 10.5 10.4 10.3 Referred Material. — Three adult specimens in addition to the holotype, two males and one female, FMNH 112349-112351. All from the type locality. Geographic Range. — Known only from the type locality in Isfahan Province, Iran (fig. 2). Description. — The jerboa is medium-sized and has long, soft pelage. The dorsal body hair is gray basally, followed by a fawn- colored band, and tipped with black. Pelage grades to a paler shade on the sides and flanks and lacks a distinct rufous band on the sides of the body. Dorsally, the head and ears are covered with short, fawn-colored hair, which is lightest in color at the base of the ears and grades to dark gray at the tips of the ears. Ventrally, the body is white as are the medial sides of the fore and hind limbs. A distinc- tive band of dark gray hair extends from the base of the tail over the posterior surfaces of the hind limbs to the hocks. A large, white hip stripe is present. The tail is covered with short, fawn and gray FIG. 1. Occlusal views of the skull and mandible of the holo- type of Allactaga firouzi n. sp., FMNH 112348. 67 68 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 72 hair. The ventral side is lighter than the dorsal side. Distally, the tail hairs lengthen to form a tufted, black, subterminal band, vary- ing from 2.5 to 4.8 cm. in length, and finally a white, terminal tuft. The skull is characterized by a low profile, a narrow rostrum, and tympanic bullae that are inflated ventrally. Maxillary and mandi- bular tooth rows are short with the fourth upper premolars reduced to minute pegs, showing no wear pattern. The incisive foramina are large, the palatal foramina nearly oval, and the palate broad (fig. 1). Since the small number of specimens of A. firouzi is inade- quate to determine the presence of sexual variation within the species, the sexes were grouped for this description. COMPARISONS Allactaga firouzi most resembles A. hotsoni, which is known only from eastern Iran and southeastern Afghanistan. It is intermediate in size between A. hotsoni and A. euphratica caprirnulga, known only from the region of Shibar Pass in eastern Afghanistan (Has- singer, 1973). Allactaga firouzi is most distinct from and probably marginally sympatric with A. euphratica williamsi, whose range is restricted to northwestern Iran and eastern Turkey. Allactaga euphractica euphratica from Iraq is smaller than A. firouzi in exter- nal measurements. Allactaga firouzi is readily distinguishable from A. euphratica williamsi from Iran by its smaller size (table 2), lighter coloration, and shorter tail and foot. The black, subterminal tail band is smaller and the tail less tufted in A. firouzi. Turkish specimens of A. e. williamsi are lighter and more rufous in color with fewer grizzled guard hairs and have a smaller white hip stripe than A. firouzi. The skull of A. firouzi is smaller than that of A. e. williamsi, the tooth rows and mandible are shorter, and the upper fourth premolar is reduced to a minute peg showing little or no wear. The premolar in A. e. williamsi has a definite wear pattern and a prominent labial reentrant groove, which is absent in A. firouzi. Allactaga e. caprirnulga resembles A. firouzi in body size, but is more rufous in color, particularly on the cheeks, sides, and flanks, than the new species. Ellerman ( 1948) distinguishes this race by its long ears (47 to 52 mm.) and relatively short tooth rows and nasals. In a more recent study, Atallah and Harrison ( 1968 ) also separate A. e. caprirnulga from all other races of A. euphratica by its longer WOMOCHEL: NEW ALLACTAGA SPECIES 69 FIG. 2. Distribution and location of major collecting areas of the genus Allactaga in Iran and adjacent countries. ear length. Seven specimens of A. e. caprimulga recently collected by Hassinger (1973) have shorter ear lengths than those reported by Ellerman. These measurements overlap or fall within the range of variability of A. firouzi and A. e. williamsi from Iran and Turkey. Only A. hotsoni and A. e. euphratica are separable from A. firouzi by ear length alone. The tooth rows and nasals in A. firouzi are shorter than those in A. e. caprimulga. The upper premolar of A. e. caprimulga is larger than that of the new species, and either has a deep labial reentrant groove or complete transverse groove behind a small circular area of wear on the anterior part of the tooth. The auditory bullae are less inflated ventrally than in A. e. williamsi, A. hotsoni, or A. firouzi. With the bullae in contact with a plane surface the occipital condyles are in contact or near contact with the surface while those of the other species are raised above it. Allactaga e. euphratica is the smallest race of this species and is readily separated from A. firouzi by its external measurements. Measurements for this race from Atallah and Harrison (1968) are .s s s1 -u CO g A C CN §£ CO rH CN CN co •* vS Oi CD CO in d m 0 CO co q (M 0 £ 00 CN 00 £ in CN CN ^ rH jo °? — CN °° S S to — « to to ob m' .21 t~ « d CO CN CD in CN CN CJS CO CO * I 3 .5 co CO CO m CN in CN in oq 5? o in !£. in 1/*V TH "S m O 00 m Tf i^ Tf t— ^ Oi S CN , , rH ^ « co S C * .S 0 § o o ?g 00 rH oo rH <*> i m (M r~ m to m -*• *"^ fi co oo CN rH t>^ CN CO d rH 00 ""1 ob 9 m- q m m °? ° " CN CN t~ - CN CN CO CN *"^ m N to 3 CO in CN t> co in rH oi t^ O5 to """! CN rH ,_; in CN CO • O^ 03 bo oo oo rH rH rH rH rH rH 1 1 •C S If ^ m q CO CO to m «s CO CN m CN ^ m m <35 £ «o , CO to rH 0 S m 05 in § S in~ m co d O5 CN in to op CN CN CO CN 1-^ d CN So S 2 od » CO °> to « rH 00 05 CD CD 2 to — CO ° « CO CD 05 q d t> CN CN CD in t- CN "^ CN CN 06 CD q toS oo — in "^ CO in in ^ XI > o ^ CO 'S v co co co CO CO §.s § *-i CO "5 o 12. o in •t to 10 CM m 5-< CN * CO S°- i-H ^CN CO ^ ^ « CO 0 tr- 52. ^1 J ^C T! rr1 m oo CN S2 co "~ O5 ^jj T1 m m to 00 in CO CD CO co t> is od S od ^ t^- °P Tf ^ m ^ in in q 10 c^ in rH q rH O5 CN o CO in > ej > - cu CN m co CN CN rH 00 in in rH 05 ^f 'M CH 3 CO .S "o CD .„ co co •*r TT ~ m £ to q to CO CN m CN CN ^ m rH 21 ^ ,, f^ .21 co 00 O5 CO (-^ oo 2. *o 3 S ll 5 o o OO ^?g CO >-l 2 oi , m CM CD CO CO TT CN 00 l> d ob 9 m' "^ m m. in m d 10 c^ in rH rH O CO d CO S -« CN rH m CN CN CN rH 00 in in rH Tt* fa T3 « 1 s 1 S S-H 2 03 CO CD OH ~ s s 3 0 £ « b fe 1 O rC i CO "e 1 co E -u X r" £ E$ O '? £ rC t3 TABLE 2. External parentheses in milli Total length Tail length Hind foot CO Greatest skull leng Condylobasal leng Zygomatic breadtl Braincase breadth o 3 o Maxillary tooth ro Mandibular tooth Mandible length CO CO to Maxillary tooth ro *From Atallah an 70 WOMOCHEL: NEW ALLACTAGA SPECIES 71 given in Table 2. The maxillary and mandibular tooth rows and the length of the mandible of A. e. euphratica are longer than those in A. firouzi. The white hip stripe is broader in A. firouzi than in A. e. euphratica. Allactaga firouzi is distinguished from A. hotsoni by having a longer tail, ears, and feet, as well as darker coloration and a longer, darker and more tufted black tail band. A band of dark hair extends from the base of the tail to the hock in some specimens of A. hotsoni as in A firouzi. The skull of A. hotsoni is smaller than that of A firouzi; however, the auditory bullae are as large as those of A firouzi and A. e. williamsi (Thomas, 1920). The premolars of A. hotsoni are larger than those of A. firouzi, while the incisive and palatal foramina are narrower. Allactaga elater is the only other species of this genus occurring in Iran. It is easily separated from A. firouzi by its external mea- surements. Extremes and means of 14 skins of A. elater in Field Museum of Natural History are total length, 230-283 mm., 262 mm.; tail, 145-180 mm., 161 mm.; hind foot, 48-59 mm., 52 mm.; and ear, 31-39 mm., 35 mm. REMARKS The holotype and the paratypes were collected on a flat plain with a gravel substrate and sparse, mountain steppe vegetation consis- ting entirely of dry Artemisia herba-alba and Astragalus sp. The hard-packed, gray, sandy soil contained little organic material. Although a spring was located near camp, there was no evidence of water on the plain or near the barren mountains rising abruptly from this plain several miles to the northeast. Three specimens, including the holotype, were captured at night in a line of museum special traps set at 10-pace intervals. The fourth specimen was spotlighted and dug from a hole. The burrow was 3.2 cm. in diameter, 45.7 cm. long, and sloped down to a depth of 20.3 cm. The single burrow found was not associated with any surface feature or vegetation, nor was any dirt distributed around the en- trance. It lacked a chamber and nesting material. Allactaga e. williamsi is usually encountered on rocky hillsides at elevations ranging from 1,000 to over 2,500 m. in Iran (Lay, 1967) and at similar elevations in eastern Turkey. Allactaga e. euphratica is reported from the southwestern deserts of Iraq (Hatt, 1959) at elevations below 1,000 m. Allactaga hotsoni is reported at 72 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 72 elevations below 1,000 m.in clay- loess deserts with sparse, clumped vegetation (Hassinger, 1968). Hassinger (1973) also collected A e. caprimulga from dry mountain slopes and plateaus at elevations between 1,800 and 3,200 m. No molt is visible on the specimens, and all are in winter pelage. The dorsal and lateral body hair is much longer than in specimens of A. euphratica collected in August, 1962 in Iran and similar in length to specimens of A. hotsoni collected in November, 1965, 10 miles south of Kang, Afghanistan. There was no evidence of reproductive activity. CONCLUSIONS The degree of morphological similarity between A. firouzi, A. hotsoni, and the various races of A. euphratica suggests that their isolated distributions are of recent origin and possibly the result of habitat restriction due to increasing aridity since the late Pleis- tocene (Butzer, 1965). No intermediate populations of A. euphratica are known between the isolated ranges of A. firouzi and A. hotsoni or A, e. caprimulga and A. hotsoni or A. e. euphratica and A. e. williamsi. SPECIMENS EXAMINED All specimens compared with A. firouzi are listed below and are a part of the Field Museum of Natural History collection. Allactaga e. caprimulga. Afghanistan: 20 miles W. Kabul (1); 7.5 miles S.S.W. Shibar Pass ( 1 ) ; Pagman ( 1 ) ; Old Kabul-Pagman Road ( 4 ) . Allactaga e. williamsi. Iran: 5.1 miles S. Bijar, Kurdistan (1); 3 miles S.E. Ali- goodarz, Lurestan (4); 9 miles S.E. Dewan Darreh, Kurdistan (2); 5 miles N. Dewan Darreh, Kurdistan (2); 2 miles N. Dewan Darreh, Kurdistan (1); Maku, Azarbaijan (1); 1.7 miles N. Bijar, Kurdistan (1); 20 miles N. Rezaiyeh, W. Azarbaijan (1); 19 miles N. Rezaiyeh, W. Azarbaijan (1); 10 miles S.W. Rezaiyeh, W. Azarbaijan (2); Kohne Hezar, Kurdistan (1); Rachtagen, Tehran (1). Turkey: Van, Van (13); Van, Edremit (2); Bitlis, near Norsinc (5). Allactaga hotsoni. Afghanistan: Between Girishk and Musa Qala (3); Qala-i- Kang(3). Allactaga elater. Iran: Maku, Azarbaijan (1); Pahlavi Dezh, Gorgan (1); 15 miles N. Pahlavi Dezh, Gorgan (8); 13 miles N. Gunar-i-Kawus, Mazanderan (2); Karadj, Tehran ( 1 ) ; Kamalabad, Tehran ( 1 ). WOMOCHEL: NEW ALLACTAGA SPECIES 73 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to Mr. and Mrs. William S. Street, who in collabora- tion with Field Museum of Natural History and the Iran Game and Fish Department made this study possible. The new species is named for Mr. Eskandar Firouz, Secretary General of the Iran Game and Fish Department, in recognition of his enthusiastic cooperation, which contributed immeasurably to the success of the 1968 Street Expedition to Iran. Dr. Robert Wilson and Dr. Pat V. Rich provided useful criticism of this paper. REFERENCES AT ALLAH, S. L. and D. L. HARRISON 1968. On the conspecificity of Allactaga euphratica thomas, 1880 and Allactaga williamsi, Thomas, 1897 (Rodentia: Dipodidae) with a complete list of sub- species. Mammalia, 32, no. 4, pp. 628-638. BUTZER, K. W. 1965. Environment and archeology. Methuen, London, 524 pp. ELLERMAN, J.R. 1948. Key to the rodents of Southwest Asia. Proc. Zool Soc., London, 118, pp. 765-817. HASSINGER, J. 1968. Introduction to the mammal survey of the 1965 Street Expedition to Afghanistan. Fieldiana: Zool., 55, no. 1, pp. 1-81, 25 figs. 1973. A survey of the mammals of Afghanistan resulting from the 1965 Street Expedition ( excluding bats). Fieldiana: Zool., 60, pp. 1-195, 50 figs. HATT, R. T. 1959. The mammals of Iraq. Misc. Publ. Mus. Zool. Univ. Mich., no. 106, 113 pp. LAY, D. M. 1967. A study of the mammals of Iran, resulting from the Street Expedition of 1962-1963. Fieldiana: Zool., 54, pp. 1-282. THOMAS, O. 1920. Some new mammals from Baluchestan and northwest India. Jour. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 26, 4, p. 936. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA