Eliomys

Garden dormouse ( Eliomys quercinus )

Garden dormouse ( Eliomys ) is a mammal genus in the family with three dormouse species found in Europe, North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Within the family counts the genus to the subfamily Leithiinae with the species tree sleepers ( Dryomys ) as a sister group.

The species are:

• Garden dormouse ( Eliomys quercinus ), has numerous of one another geographically isolated occurrence in Europe.
• Löffelbilch, Orient sleeper or desert dormouse ( Eliomys melanurus ), inhabited several areas from northern Libya to the southern Turkey and the Arabian Peninsula.
• Tunisian garden dormouse ( Eliomys munbyanus ), is found in the northwestern and northern Africa.

The Löffelbilch and the Tunisian garden dormouse were sometimes considered as subspecies of garden sleeper. In addition to these four fossil species have been described.

In the last few decades were for the garden dormouse in Central, Southern and Eastern Europe recorded significant population decline, area reductions and even regional extinction. The reasons for this are unclear. It is therefore guided by the IUCN in the early warning ( near threatened ). The other two species are considered to be uncritical ( least concern ).