Vol. 84, No. 45, pp. 385-392 29 February 1972 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON A NEW SPECIES OF SHORT-TAILED GERBIL (DIPODILLUS) FROM MOROCCO (MAMMALIA: CRICETIDAE: GERBILLINAE) .-T^lTwiTwr-By Duane a. Schlitter and Henry W. Setzer u l q m q ■jn70 African Mammal Project, Division of Mammats Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560 ^^kl ^fiHtuC^ Since the description o£ Dipodillus simoni (Lataste, 1881), specimens o£ short-tailed gerbils have been reported rarely among collections of African rodents. Recently, however, re-ports of the capture of these rodents have begun to appear (Wassif, 1956:179, 1960:31; Setzer, 1958:214; Harrison, 1967: 381; Ranck, 1968:149). As more specimens of gerbUline ro-dents have become available, interest in the generic classifica-tion of this subfamily has increased. Fetter ( 1959 ) commented on generic classification of the genus Gerhillus. He raised the subgenus Dipodillus, previously including all the species of Gerhillus with naked plantar soles, to generic rank with Dipo-dillus simoni as the only species based on its alternating molar tubercles and shortened tail. The remaining species with bare plantar soles were retained in the subgenus Hendecapleura in the genus Gerhillus. An examination of literature plus com-parison of specimens in the United States National Museum of Natural History collection shows that the genus Dipodillus can be distinguished from other gerbilline genera by the fol-lowing combination of characters: length of tail generally averages less than length of head and body; tail lacks penicil-lated tip; plantar soles naked; molar tubercles alternate in posi-tion, especially M^ (Fig. 1); tympanic bullae relatively small for the subfamily Gerbillinae; and M^ lacks cusps. From September 1969 through July 1970, personnel of the 45— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 84, 1971 ( 385 )
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