NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Antelope Rat
Tatera indica (Hardwicke, 1807)
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Indian gerbil (Tatera indica) also known as antelope rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found in western and southern Asia, from Syria east through to Bangladesh.
It is the only species in the genus Tatera. Members of the genus Gerbilliscus have, historically, been placed in Tatera.
Wikipedia contributors, Indian gerbil; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:19:27.306645+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Tatera indica (Hardwicke, 1807)
- Name authority
- (Hardwicke, 1807)
- Common name
- Antelope Rat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Muridae
- Genus
- Tatera
- 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
- suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
- superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
- familyMuridae Illiger, 1811
- subfamilyGerbillinae Gray, 1825
- genusTatera Lataste, 1882
- speciesTatera indica (Hardwicke, 1807)
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 |
|---|---|
| Tatera bailwardi Wroughton, 1906 Wroughton, 1906 | synonym |
| Tatera persica Wroughton, 1906 Wroughton, 1906 | synonym |
| Meriones taeniurus Wagner, 1843 Wagner, 1843 | synonym |
| Tatera bailwardi monticola Wroughton, 1906 Wroughton, 1906 | synonym |
| Gerbillus cuvieri Waterhouse, 1838 Waterhouse, 1838 | synonym |
| Gerbillus hardwickei Gray, 1843 Gray, 1843 | synonym |
| Tatera ceylonica Wroughton, 1906 Wroughton, 1906 | synonym |
| Tatera dunni Wroughton, 1917 Wroughton, 1917 | synonym |
| Tatera pitmani Cheesman, 1921 Cheesman, 1921 | synonym |
| Tatera sherrini Wroughton, 1917 Wroughton, 1917 | synonym |
| Tatera persica scansa Wroughton, 1906 Wroughton, 1906 | synonym |
| Gerbillus otarius F. Cuvier, 1838 F. Cuvier, 1838 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Southern Asia
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=633002 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:54YWZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.