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G. bilkis and the dark forms of G. gazella in the southern Arabian peninsula - Taxonomy: The taxonomy of the genus Gazella is considered to be one of the most equivocal among mammal groups (Groves and Harrison, 1967). The classification was modified recently, changing the status of some taxa from subspecies to species (Groves, 1969; Furley el al., 1988), but taxonomic relationships between and within a number of species are still unclear. Groves and Lay (1985) described G. bilkis from five specimens (skins and skulls) deposited in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago by Dr. H. Hoogstraal in 1951, and one skull presented to the Natural History Museum, London, by W.T. Blanford in 1869. According to these authors, a number of features of the skull, including the shape of the horns (straight with 12-15 rings in the male, long with clearly developed rings in the female), and the morphology of teeth, nasal and premaxillary bones clearly differentiated bilkis from other species of gazelles. The colour patterns were also distinct: the body was very dark with paler fur on the flanks, haunches or legs; there was a very thick flank stripe, black and conspicuous in the field, and a white line on the inside of the thigh continuing down the shank. As a diagnostic feature, the bilkis gazelle is the darkest species of the genus. At least three other species of gazelles, G. subgullurosa, G. saudiya and G. gazella (Groves and Harrison, 1967) were widely di stributed throughout the Arabian peninsula. They will be discussed here briefly to make a clear distinction between the two taxa with which we are mainly concerned. The Arabian sand gazelle G. subgullurosa marica cannot be mistaken for any other species, being very pale in color and living in sandy areas (Groves, 1989). The so-called "Arabian dorcas" gazelle, G. saudiya, probably either on the verge of extinction or already extinct in the wild, is small and sandy-brown in colour with long, straight horns in both sexes (Groves, 1989). Increasingly, it has been suggested that this gazelle is a distinct species, unrelated to African dorcas gazelles (Groves, 1989); recent cytogenetic studies strongly corroborate this (Rebholz el aI., 1991), but it is still under investigation. The situation of the mountain gazelle G. gazella is more complicated, because four subspecies occur in the south of the Arabian peninsula. One subspecies, G. g. cora, which is reported to be sympatric with G. bilkis (Groves, 1989), can be distinguished from it by the paler coat, as well as by many skull characteristics (Groves and Lay, 1985). A second subspecies, G. g. farasani (Thouless and Al Bassri, 1991) is restricted to the coral archipelago of Farasan, 30 km north of the Yemen border in the Red Sea. A third subspecies, G. g. muscalensis, with a pronounced dark grey coat (Groves, 1989), is restricted to the coastal strip of northern Oman (Figure 11.1). The fourth subspecies G. g. erlangeri (Groves el al., in press) is more controversial from a taxonomic point of view and its differentiation from G. bilkis is still unclear. It can be distinguished from G. g. cora by its small size and its dark colour. Described by Neumann (1906) as G. arabica erlangeri from Lahej, north of Aden, based on a colored plate (pI. 59) in Sclater and Thomas (1898), and recently resurrected as G. g. erlangeri (Groves el aI., in press), this taxon is possibly sympatric with G. bilkis; two specimens from Ma'bar, Yemen (l4°46'N, 44°21'E), in the Field Museum of Natural Hi story, Chicago, recorded by Groves and Lay (1985) as G. g. cora, are more likely to be G. g. erlangeri. Although Groves and Lay (1985) proposed that these two taxa are not conspecific because of probable sympatry and different morphological patterns, scientific evidence is still too weak to classify them as two distinct taxa. Cytogenetics and molecular techniques are necessary to clarify the picture. 113
SAUDI ARABIA BAHRAIN • Riyadh V.A.E. Farasan Islands Ta'izz YEMEN G. gazella cora o G. gazella erlangeri Aden • G. gazella muscatensis Figure 11.1 Presumed range of the different subspecies of G. gazella (solid square ~ G. g. Jarasa"i) and of G. bilkis (solid triangles). Chromosome studies of G. g. cora and G. g. erlangeri have shown that both subspecies have 34 chromosomes in females and 35 chromosomes in males. These numbers are identical to the ones found in G. g. gazella (Wahrman et aI. , 1973), confirming that these two taxa should be considered as subspecies of G. gazella. Blood allozyme srudies on 18 loci from 16 C. g. gazella , seven C. g. cora, 15 C. g. erlangeri and five C. g. farasani also showed that all these taxa are closely-related (Vassart et al., 1994) . C. gazella has a large phenotypic variability and some subspecies in Israel and Iran have not yet been described (Karami and Groves, 1992; Mendelssohn et al., in press). Special attention should be paid to the taxonomy of this species to allow a clear di stinction of taxonomic units and to adopt the appropriate conservation measures. - Biological data: There is almost no information available on the biology and distribution of C. bilkis. All the specimens collected in 1951 came from the mountainous area of Ta'izz (13°35'N, 44°02'E), 200 km south of Sa'ana. Localities include EI Hauban in Wadi Maleh, Usaifira and Jabal Zarba (Groves and Lay. 1985; Harrison and Bates, 1991). They were either solitary or in small groups on euphorbia-covered slopes, which were separated from cultivated areas by hills (Sanborn and Hoogstraal, 1953). No other biological data or photographs have been published. A limited 114
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CONSERVATION OF ARABIAN GAZELLES
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• 14 Survey of Gazelle Populatio
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List of Contributors Prof. Abdulaz
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Foreword HRH Prince SAUD AL-FAISAL
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1. Recent Developments in Gazelle C
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• April, 1988: Survey of the Fara
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- May, 1991: Capture of rheem from
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References Abuzinada, A., 1987. Int
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until Groves (1983) re-examined the
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Figure 2.1 a Figure 2.1 b
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Dissatisfaction with the BSC over t
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Nixon & Wheeler (1990) are not so d
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In order to test the PSC (phylogene
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(2) FEMALES Variable gazella cora
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two adult male and one adult female
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4 4 * 4 3 2 *33 1 1 * 1 * 2 1 1 I 5
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(2) FEMALES Variable G. bennelli (
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In the two other equally parsimonio
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ufifrons benneui saudiya subguuurcs
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By branch-swapping, using Macelade,
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On my first visit to AI-Areen, in 1
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anch of the premaxilla generally to
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J.R., and Morrison-Scott, T.C.S. 19
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Aden: 12°50'N, 45°03'E (4 skins,
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species is currently the subject of
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One area where local people are ins
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4. The Relationship Between Taxonom
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'I1Ie current status of taxonomy Ad
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There is much scope for conflict be
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The Controversial Subject of Gazell
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• Taxonomic argument: The divisio
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conventional taxonomic characters t
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divergence between the mitochondria
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Morphometries: Some morphological c
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operative progranune could be set u
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Page 74 and 75: Acknowledgements This work was carr
Page 76 and 77: Lange, 1. 1972. Studien an Gazellen
Page 78 and 79: 6. Modern Techniques in Taxonomy an
Page 80 and 81: protein electrophoresis still a val
Page 82 and 83: "molecular clock") has been establi
Page 84 and 85: Beni~hke, Nombela, J.J., Rodriguez
Page 86 and 87: 7. Chromosonlal Evolution in Gazell
Page 88 and 89: and C. gazella (Vassart et ai., Art
Page 90 and 91: analysis. Systematic relationships
Page 92 and 93: management efforts, whether managem
Page 94 and 95: Kumamoto, A.T., and Bogart, M.H. 19
Page 96 and 97: Table 8.1 Mammalian cells in cultur
Page 98 and 99: genetic diversity in a subspecies w
Page 100 and 101: amount of change between individual
Page 102 and 103: pardus, at positions 38, 61, 64, an
Page 104 and 105: Wildlife Research Center (KKWRC), n
Page 106 and 107: grown m MEM medium supplemented wit
Page 108 and 109: was involved in a V-autosome transl
Page 110 and 111: and heterozygosi ty values found in
Page 112 and 113: Viegas-Pequignot, E., and Dutrillau
Page 114 and 115: cellular and molecular biology requ
Page 116 and 117: structures in terms of visible morp
Page 118 and 119: Although a Robertsonian translocati
Page 120 and 121: Groves, c.P. 1969. On the smaller g
Page 124 and 125: survey was carried out in February
Page 126 and 127: Conservation action: International
Page 128 and 129: 12. Genetics of Saudi dorcas gazell
Page 130 and 131: Genetic research can clarify the ta
Page 132 and 133: dorcas gazelles Gazella do rcas ssp
Page 134 and 135: y less than 2% from each other. How
Page 136 and 137: Groves, c.P. 1969. On the smaller g
Page 138 and 139: eflect the truly remarkable output
Page 140 and 141: • National (central) government p
Page 142 and 143: past colonial Africa and Asia, and
Page 144 and 145: • Studies of gazelle growth rates
Page 146 and 147: References Child, G., and Grainger,
Page 148 and 149: 14. Survey of Gazelle Populations i
Page 150 and 151: Sony IPS-360 Global Positioning Sys
Page 152 and 153: 1. Mahkshush The gazelle habitat co
Page 154 and 155: 5. Jabal Jandaf A small population
Page 156 and 157: A slight caveat is required to thes
Page 158 and 159: • Appoint one local auxiliary ran
Page 160 and 161: Recommendations on park zoning, man
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Page 164 and 165: flamingos Phoenicopterus ruber; her
Page 166 and 167: salt marshes and associated sand du
Page 168 and 169: Many projects were initiated at KlS
Page 170 and 171: CG: Taxonomy is the essential backg
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WR: On a mitochondrial DNA basis, w
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CM & AG: We should not forget in si
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- AG: What could the taxon called G
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Gazella dorcas 1) Survey Al-Khunfah
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3 Male mountain gazelle (Thumamah)
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7 Female Arabian sand gazelle (Thum
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