The thin sand rat or lesser sand rat (Psammomys vexillaris) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.[2] It has also been previously named the pale sand rat based on work published by Oldfield Thomas in 1925.[3]
It is found in Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia, and its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and intermittent salt lakes.[2]
The thin sand rat was previously classified as a subspecies of the fat sand rat. However, morphological differences in size and coat color between the two animals, along with recent molecular evidence suggest that they are different species.[2][4][5]
The thin sand rat may be a natural reservoir for the disease leishmaniasis.[6]
^Thomas, Oldfield (1925). "XX.On some of the species of Psammomys found in Algeria, Tunis, and Tripoli". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 16 (91): 197–199. doi:10.1080/00222932508633289.
^Cockrum, E. L.; Vaughan, P. J.; Vaughan, T. C. (1977). "Status of the pale sand rat, Psammomys vexillaris Thomas, 1925". Mammalia. 41 (3): 321–326. doi:10.1515/mamm.1977.41.3.321. S2CID84969364.
^Othman, Souad Ben; Ghawar, Wissem; Chaouch, Melek; Ayari, Chiraz; Chemkhi, Jomaa; Cancino-Faure, Beatriz; Tomás-Pérez, Miriam; Alcover, Maria Magdalena; Riera, Cristina; Salah, Afif Ben; Fisa, Roser; Ismail, Riadh Ben; Abderrazak, Souha Ben (2018). "First detection of Leishmania DNA in Psammomys obesus and Psammomys vexillaris: Their potential involvement in the epidemiology of leishmaniasis in Tunisia". Infection, Genetics and Evolution. 59: 7–15. doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2018.01.013. PMID29413886.