New records and potential distribution of the Barbary ground squirrel ( <i>Atlantoxerus getulus</i> ) in arid ecosystems of Western Algeria

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the species distribution of the Barbary ground squirrel within Tindouf Cultural Park, an arid region where no prior occurrence records for this species existed. Additionally, we assessed the species’ potential range by modelling its bioclimatic niche. Our field trips conducted on 2023 to various habitats in the Tindouf cultural park have confirmed the presence of the Barbary ground squirrel in nine sites, primarily in rocky, mountainous areas with water sources. Vegetation in these areas is diverse, with a dominance of Acacia and Argan trees. The squirrels showed a preference for argan fruits. Using GBIF data, 2,133 geo-referenced observations were collected, showing an increase in occurrences from the 2000s. Due to the nature of the data collected (presence only) we used Maxent for modelling Barbary ground squirrel bioclimatic niche and distribution. The model used proved to be excellent, with an AUC value of 0.977. The Jackknife test identified the minimum temperature of the coldest month, the precipitation of the coldest quarter, and the average diurnal range as the main influencing variables on the presence of the Barbary ground squirrel. The predictive distribution map shows that the squirrel could potentially inhabit a larger area in Algeria than what is currently observed.