Comments: Whether viewed as a subfamily of Cricetidae or Muridae (Alston, 1876; Carleton and Musser, 1984; Ellerman, 1941; McKenna and Bell, 1997; Miller and Gidley, 1918; Musser and Carleton, 1993; Simpson, 1945; Thomas, 1896) or a separate family (Chaline et al., 1977; Pavlinov et al., 1990, 1995a; Reig, 1980; Wessels, 1998, 1999), species of gerbils form a distinct group defined by a suite of derived morphological traits. In a series of reports, Pavlinov (1980a, 1981a, b, 1982a, 1984b, 1985, 1986,...