The

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

''Jaculus'' is a member of the

Dipodinae Dipodinae is a subfamily of Dipodidae. Classification Subfamily Dipodinae *Tribe Dipodini **Genus '' Dipus'' *** Northern three-toed jerboa, ''Dipus sagitta'' **Genus '' Eremodipus'' *** Lichtenstein's jerboa, ''Eremodipus lichtensteini'' **Gen ...

subfamily of dipodoid

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

s (

jerboa Jerboas (from ar, جربوع ') are hopping desert rodents found throughout North Africa and Asia, and are members of the family Dipodidae. They tend to live in hot deserts. When chased, jerboas can run at up to . Some species are preyed on b ...

s). ''Jaculus''

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

are distributed in desert and

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...

regions across

northern Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...

, the Sahara, the Horn of Africa,

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...

, the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

. Collectively, the species within the genus may be commonly referred to as "desert jerboas", although this more particularly applied to the

lesser Egyptian jerboa The lesser jerboa (''Jaculus jaculus'') is a small rodent of Africa and the Middle East. Its diet consists mainly of seeds and grasses. Description A small rodent, it is sometimes likened to a tiny kangaroo due to its incredibly large hind legs ...

(''Jaculus jaculus'').Myers ''et al.'' (2006).

Species

The following species are recognised for the genus ''Jaculus'': * Blanford's jerboa, ''Jaculus blanfordi'' *

Lesser Egyptian jerboa The lesser jerboa (''Jaculus jaculus'') is a small rodent of Africa and the Middle East. Its diet consists mainly of seeds and grasses. Description A small rodent, it is sometimes likened to a tiny kangaroo due to its incredibly large hind legs ...

, ''Jaculus jaculus'' *

Greater Egyptian jerboa The greater Egyptian jerboa (''Jaculus orientalis'') is a species of rodent in the family Dipodidae. It is found in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and is possibly extinct in the Negev Desert of Israel. Its natural habitat ...

, ''Jaculus orientalis'' * Thaler's jerboa ''Jaculus thaleri'' * African hammada jerboa ''Jaculus hirtipes''

References

Sources

* Holden, M. E. and G. G. Musser. 2005. Family Dipodidae. pp. 871–893 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. * Dipodidae Taxa named by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben Rodent genera Rodents of North Africa {{Rodent-stub