Class [Mammalia] Linnaeus, 1758 - mammals
Order Rodentia Bowdich, 1821 - rodents
Family Muridae Batsch, 1788 - rats, mice, hamsters, voles, lemmings, and gerbils
Subfamily Gerbillinae Gray, 1825 - gerbils
Genus Desmodillus Thomas & Schwann, 1904 - Cape short-eared gerbil
Desmodillus auricularis Smith, 1834 - short-tailed gerbil