Morphology and distribution of the Asian Garden Dormouse, Eliomys melanurus Wagner, 1840, in Syria (Rodentia: Gliridae)

Five adult specimens of the Asian Garden Dormouse, Eliomys melanurus Wagner, 1840, were collected near Deir az-Zor, along the Euphrates river in the north-eastern part of Syria. The external morphology and biometric measurements are discussed. Skull, phallus and baculum shapes are illustrated. The distribution of E. melanurus in Syria is mapped based on the recent and previously documented records. Some ecological and biological aspects are discussed.