Allactodipus bobrinskii

SUBFAMILY

Allactaginae

TAXONOMY

Allactodipus bobrinskii Kolesnikov, 1937, Uzbekistan.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

German: Bobrinski's Pferde-Springer; Russian: Tushkanchik Bobrinskogo.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Head and body length 4–5 in (110–135 mm); tail 7–8 in (170–200 mm); body mass 2–3 oz (52–77 g). Upperparts reddish brown and black to sandy and grayish buff; whitish underneath.

DISTRIBUTION

Endemic to central Turan lowland. Range consists of six isolated portions, three in Turkmenistan and three in Uzbekistan.

HABITAT

Inhabitant of clay and clay-stony plains with a thin sand-gravel sheet. Vegetation is sparse and represented by small succulent shrubs from the Chenopodiaceae family.

BEHAVIOR

Solitary with overlapping home ranges of 2.5–6 acres (1–2.5 ha). Two to three daily burrows are used in rotation. Contact between neighbors is avoided.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Feeds mainly on vegetative parts of plants. Seeds and insects are ingested to a lesser degree.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Little information is available. Assumed polygamous. Adult females can produce two litters in spring and fall. There is no exact data on the duration of gestation and lactation. Juveniles emerge from the maternal burrow at the age of 40–45 days. In spring, lactation overlaps with gestation. Litter size vary from two to seven pups, commonly four to six offspring.

CONSERVATION STATUS

A fairly common species with a restricted and fragmented range, and a relatively low population density that varies from 0.5 to 3 individuals per 2.5 acres (1 ha) in optimal habitats.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.

Common name / Scientific name / Other common names	Physical characteristics	Habitat and behavior	Distribution	Diet	Conservation status
Four-toed jerboa Allactaga tetradactyla German: Pferdespringer	Upperparts mixed russet and black to sand and grayish buff. Underparts are white, white stripe on hip. Eyes are large, ears are long and slender. Head and body length 3.5–10.4 in (9–26.3 cm), tail length 5.6–12 in (14.2–30.8 cm), weight 1.8 oz (52 g).	Coastal salt marshes and clay deserts. Burrows are simple, about 23.6–59.1 in (60–150 cm) deep. Nocturnal.	Coastal gravel plains of Egypt and eastern Libya, from near Alexandria to the Gulf of Sirte.	Primarily vegetarian.	Threatened
Lesser fat-tailed jerboa Pygeretmus platyurus	Sandy brown above and white below. Tail has no terminal tuft. Head and body length 2.9–3.7 in (7.5–9.5 cm), tail length 3–3.5 in (7.8–9 cm).	Clay and saline deserts and semideserts. Nocturnal, terrestrial, poor jumpers and diggers. One reproductive season from May to June. Five to six young per litter.	Western, central, and eastern Kazakhstan.	Green vegetation, bulbs, spiders, and insects.	Not threatened
Greater fat-tailed jerboa Pygeretmus shitkovi	Sandy brown above and white below. Tail has no terminal tuft. Head and body length 3.8–4.8 in (9.7–12.2 cm), tail length 3.7–5 in (9.4–12.8 cm).	Clay and saline deserts and semideserts. Nocturnal, terrestrial, poor jumpers and diggers. One reproductive season from May to June. Five to six young per litter.	Eastern Kazakhstan, in region of Lake Balkhash.	Green vegetation, bulbs, spiders, and insects.	Lower Risk/Near Threatened
Thick-tailed pygmy jerboa Salpingotus crassicauda	Upperparts sandy or buffy, underparts are pale yellowish. No terminal tuft on tail. Head and body length 1.6–2.2 in (4.1–5.7 cm), tail length 3.6–4.9 in (9.3–12.6 cm).	Sand dunes overgrown with tamarisk, saxaul, and saltwort. Burrows are up to 10 ft (3 m) in length.	Steppes and deserts of northwest China.	Animal (insects and arachnids) and vegetable food.	Vulnerable
Lichtenstein's jerboa Eremodipus lichtensteini	Upperparts dark sandy or buff, underparts are whitish. White stripe on hip. Eyes and ears are relatively large. Head and body length 3.7–6.3 in (9.5–16 cm), tail length 5–9.8 in (12.8–25 cm).	Variety of habitats, including both rolling and relatively flat sandy deserts, saline deserts, rocky valleys, and meadows. Has only one litter per year. Two to eight offspring per litter.	Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, from Caspian Sea to Aral Sea, and south of Lake Balkhash.	Roots, sprouts, seeds, grains, and cultivated vegetables.	Not threatened
Lesser Egyptian jerboa Jaculus jaculus	Upperparts pale to dark sandy or buff, underparts are white. Head and body length 3.7–6.3 in (9.5–16 cm), tail length 5–9.8 in (12.8–5 cm), weight 1.9 oz (55 g).	Variety of habitats, including both rolling and relatively flat sandy deserts, saline deserts, rocky valleys, and meadows. Has only one litter per year. Two to eight offspring per litter.	Desert and semidesert areas from Morocco and Mauritania to southwestern Iran and Somalia.	Roots, sprouts, seeds, grains, and cultivated vegetables.	Not threatened
Greater Egyptian jerboa Jaculus orientalis	Upperparts pale to dark sandy or buff, underparts are white. Head and body length 3.7–6.3 in (9.5–16 cm), tail length 5–9.8 in (12.8–25 cm).	Variety of habitats, including both rolling and relatively flat sandy deserts, saline deserts, rocky valleys, and meadows. Has only one litter per year. Two to eight offspring per litter.	Morocco to southern Israel.	Roots, sprouts, seeds, grains, and cultivated vegetables.	Lower Risk/Near Threatened
Andrews's three-toed jerboa Stylodipus andrewsi	Upperparts sandy or buff sprinkled with black tips and black hairs. Buffy appearance along sides of body. Underparts, backs of feet, and hip stripe are white. Ears are small. Head and body length 3.9–5.1 in (10–13 cm), tail length 5.1–6.4 in (13.2–16.3 cm).	Deserts and steppes, as well as cultivated fields and pine forests. Digs seasonal burrows, the permanent ones being complex. Generally nocturnal, hibernating from September to March.	Mongolia.	Lichens, rhizomes, bulbs, seeds, and wheat.	Not threatened
Chinese jumping mouse Eozapus setchuanus	Upperparts tawny orange, underparts are white. Tail is dark above and white below. Hind feet, legs, and tail are very long. Dark streak down middle of breast and belly, white tip on tail. Head and body length 3.1–3.9 in (8–10 cm), tail length 3.9–5.9 in (10–15 cm).	Beside streams in cool forests. Behavioral and reproductive patterns unknown.	Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and northwestern Yunnan, China.	Unknown, but most likely vegetarian or some insects.	Vulnerable

Common name/Scientific name/Other common names	Physical characteristics	Habitat and behavior	Distribution	Diet	Conservation status
Woodland jumping mouse Napaeozapus insignis German: Waldhüpfmaus	Pelage is coarse with tricolor pattern. Back brown to black, sides are orange with yellow or red tint, underparts are white. Tail is grayish brown above and white below. Head and body length 3.1–3.9 in (8–10 cm), tail length 4.5–6.3 in (11.5–16 cm), weight 0.6–0.9 oz (17–26 g).	Spruce-fir and hemlock-hardwood forests in cool, moist places with dense vegetation. Also found in bogs and swamps or along streams but also may occur far from free surface water. Mainly nocturnal.	Southeastern Manitoba to Labrador, Canada, and Pennsylvania, United States, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.	Fruits, nuts, and other kinds of vegetation.	Not threatened