NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Mzab Gundi
Massoutiera mzabi (Lataste, 1881)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Ctenodactylus (Ctenodactylus spec.)
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Open encyclopedia reference
The Mzab gundi (Massoutiera mzabi) is a species of rodent in the family Ctenodactylidae. It is monotypic within the genus Massoutiera. It is found in Algeria, Chad, Mali, Niger, and possibly Libya. The Mzab gundi can live in a variety of climates, including arid deserts with sparse vegetation and annual rainfall less than 20 mm. However, it lacks many of the adaptations other rodents use to cope with such extreme environments, instead relying on behavior to survive in those regions.
Wikipedia contributors, Mzab gundi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:52:06.614378+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Massoutiera mzabi (Lataste, 1881)
- Name authority
- (Lataste, 1881)
- Common name
- Mzab Gundi
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Ctenodactylidae
- Genus
- Massoutiera
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderHystricomorpha Brandt, 1855
- infraorderCtenodactylomorphi Chaline & Mein, 1979
- familyCtenodactylidae Gervais, 1853
- genusMassoutiera Lataste, 1885
- speciesMassoutiera mzabi (Lataste, 1881)
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Massoutiera rothschildi Thomas & Hinton, 1921 Thomas & Hinton, 1921 | synonym |
| Ctenodactylus mzabi Lataste, 1881 Lataste, 1881 | synonym |
| Massoutiera harterti Thomas, 1913 Thomas, 1913 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=573202 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3YCGM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.