First and new records of albinism and leucism in Jaculus orientalis and Jaculus jaculus (Rodentia, Dipodidae)
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Firas Hayder
,
Emmanuel Do Linh San
,
Ali M.H. Fartoussi
Abstract
This note documents three cases of aberrant colouration in two species of Jaculus, observed following hunts by local people, as these jerboas are commonly consumed in Arabic countries. In Tunisia, the first cases of albinism and leucism in the greater Egyptian jerboa (Jaculus orientalis) were reported: one albino individual characterized by white fur and red eyes and one leucistic individual with white fur but black eyes. In Iraq, an albino lesser Egyptian jerboa (Jaculus jaculus) with white fur and red eyes was recorded, marking the second known case of albinism in this species.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to everyone who shared photographs of the white phenotypes of Jaculus orientalis. We also extend our thanks to Zbyszek Boratyński for the photograph of J. jaculus and Jonathan Ben Simon for the photograph of J. orientalis. Additionally, we thank Maximilian Allen for sharing an unpublished list of records of leucistic chordates.
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Informed consent: Not applicable.
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Author contributions: Firas Hayder: collected the photos of an albino and a leucistic Jaculus orientalis and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Emmanuel Do Linh San: wrote and revised the paper and provided critical input. Ali Fartoussi: made one of the field observations and took the photo of the albino Jaculus jaculus. Zimkitha J.K. Madikiza: wrote and revised the paper and provided critical input. The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: The first draft of this manuscript benefited from the use of an AI tool for English language improvement and refinement.
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Conflict of interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: None declared.
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Data availability: Not applicable.
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© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Conservation
- Tickell’s bat, Hesperoptenus tickelli (Blyth, 1851), in Sri Lanka with new records after 58 years and roosting ecology notes
- Ecology
- New ecological aspects of the pacarana (Dinomys branickii) in southeastern Peru
- Variation in mammal ecological patterns in response to seasonality in a Brazilian tropical dry forest
- Niche partitioning between two marsupials inhabiting the Yungas of Northwestern Argentina: overlapping diets in non-overlapping lifestyles?
- Characteristics of tree hollows used by Nilgiri marten Martes gwatkinsii in the Western Ghats, India
- How much do we know about wild canid (Carnivora: Canidae) ectoparasites in Mexico? Current state of knowledge
- First and new records of albinism and leucism in Jaculus orientalis and Jaculus jaculus (Rodentia, Dipodidae)
- Biogeography
- The first record of the long-eared hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus Gmelin, 1770) in Lebanon
- First record of Andersen’s leaf-nosed bat, Hipposideros gentilis, and hairy-faced myotis, Myotis annectans from Bangladesh
- Ethology
- Temperature and pups influence daytime roosting behavior of the great fruit-eating bat, Artibeus lituratus, in an urban southern Brazilian habitat
- Taxonomy/Phylogeny
- On the phylogenetic position of Rhinolophus sakejiensis (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae)
- New geographical records of Phyllostomidae (Chiroptera) for the Brazilian Caatinga, with taxonomic notes
- Complete mitogenome of Prionailurus bengalensis alleni and taxonomic revisions of leopard cat subspecies
- Karyotype of the lesser gymnure Hylomys maxi and comparison with its Vietnamese congeners (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Erinaceidae)
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Conservation
- Tickell’s bat, Hesperoptenus tickelli (Blyth, 1851), in Sri Lanka with new records after 58 years and roosting ecology notes
- Ecology
- New ecological aspects of the pacarana (Dinomys branickii) in southeastern Peru
- Variation in mammal ecological patterns in response to seasonality in a Brazilian tropical dry forest
- Niche partitioning between two marsupials inhabiting the Yungas of Northwestern Argentina: overlapping diets in non-overlapping lifestyles?
- Characteristics of tree hollows used by Nilgiri marten Martes gwatkinsii in the Western Ghats, India
- How much do we know about wild canid (Carnivora: Canidae) ectoparasites in Mexico? Current state of knowledge
- First and new records of albinism and leucism in Jaculus orientalis and Jaculus jaculus (Rodentia, Dipodidae)
- Biogeography
- The first record of the long-eared hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus Gmelin, 1770) in Lebanon
- First record of Andersen’s leaf-nosed bat, Hipposideros gentilis, and hairy-faced myotis, Myotis annectans from Bangladesh
- Ethology
- Temperature and pups influence daytime roosting behavior of the great fruit-eating bat, Artibeus lituratus, in an urban southern Brazilian habitat
- Taxonomy/Phylogeny
- On the phylogenetic position of Rhinolophus sakejiensis (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae)
- New geographical records of Phyllostomidae (Chiroptera) for the Brazilian Caatinga, with taxonomic notes
- Complete mitogenome of Prionailurus bengalensis alleni and taxonomic revisions of leopard cat subspecies
- Karyotype of the lesser gymnure Hylomys maxi and comparison with its Vietnamese congeners (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Erinaceidae)
