The Bioecology of Meriones tristrami Thomas, 1892 in Kırıkkale Province (Mammalia: Rodentia)

Abstract

This study is based on 40 Meriones tristrami specimens caught in Kırıkkale province in 2002 and 2003. The habitat, ectoparasites, burrow type, fur colour, some feeding and breeding features, baculum, karyotype, and external and cranial measurements of this species are reported. Information on the feeding and behaviour of 7 animals in a laboratory setting was recorded over 8 months.The diploid chromosome number (2n) is 72, the fundamental number (FN) is 84, and the number of autosomal arms (FNa) is 80.In this species, the hair scale form is described from Turkey for the fi rst time in this study. The form of the hair scale, examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), was “coronal simple” at the tip of the hair and “imbricate fl attened” at the shaft and at the basal part. Moreover, the tick species Ixodes ricinus and the fl ea species Nosopsyllus durii are reported from M. tristrami in Turkey for the fi rst time.