Cricetulus migratorius (Pallas 1773)

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Cricetidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 955-1189 : 1042

Cricetulus migratorius (Pallas 1773)

[Mus] migratorius Pallas 1773 , Reise Prov. Russ. Reichs, Vol. 2: 703.

Type Locality: W Kazakhstan, lower Ural River.

Vernacular Names: Gray Dwarf Hamster.

Synonyms: Cricetulus accedula (Pallas 1779) ; Cricetulus arenarius (Pallas 1773) ; Cricetulus atticus Nehring 1902 ; Cricetulus bellicosus Scharleman 1915 ; Cricetulus caesius Kashkarov 1923 ; Cricetulus cinerascens (Wagner 1848) ; Cricetulus cinereus Kashkarov 1926 ; Cricetulus coerulescens (Severtzov 1879) ; Cricetulus elisarjewi Afanasiev 1953 ; Cricetulus falzfeini Matschie 1918 ; Cricetulus fulvus (Blanford 1875) ; Cricetulus griseiventris (Thomas 1917) ; Cricetulus griseus (Kashkarov 1923) ; Cricetulus isabellinus (de Filippi 1865) ; Cricetulus murinus (Severtzov 1876) ; Cricetulus myosurus Argyropulo 1932 ; Cricetulus neglectus Ognev 1916 ; Cricetulus ognevi Argyropulo 1932 ; Cricetulus ognevi Argyropulo 1941 ; Cricetulus pamirensis Ognev 1923 ; Cricetulus phaeus (Pallas 1779) ; Cricetulus pulcher Ognev 1924 ; Cricetulus sviridenkoi Pidoplitschka 1928 ; Cricetulus tauricus Satunin 1908 ; Cricetulus vernula Thomas 1917 ; Cricetulus zvierezombi Pidoplitschka 1928 .

Distribution: SE Greece, NW Romania, SE Bulgaria, and S European Russia ( Mitchell-Jones et al., 1999); eastwards through Kazakhstan to S Mongolia and N China (Xinjiang, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai; Qin, 1991; Wang, 2003; Zhang et al., 1997); southwards through Turkey (Kryštufek and Vohralík, 2001; Osborn, 1965; Pamukoglu and Albayrak, 1996) and Transcaucasia to Israel ( Mendelssohn and Yom-Tov, 1999; Qumsiyeh, 1996), Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran ( Lay, 1967), Afghanistan ( Hassinger, 1973), Pakistan ( Roberts, 1977), and N India (Jammu and Kashmir; Agrawal, 2000).

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (nt).

Discussion: Major compendia summarize the systematic biology of the species in Europe and Russia ( Gromov and Erbajeva, 1995; Mitchell-Jones et al., 1999; Niethammer, 1982 d). Allozymic variation between isabellinus from Kopet Dag Mtns and bellicosus from Ukranian steppes discussed by Mezhzherin (2001 b). Cricetulus migratorius has occurred in the southern Levant since 80,000 -70,000 years before present and apparently replaced two fossil species (recorded as Allocricetus ), C. magnus (70,000 -60,000 years before present) and C. jesreelicus (not recorded later than 120,000 years before present) ( Tchernov, 1992, 1994, and cited references). See Zagordnyuk (1992 b), for comments regarding scientific names applied to Ukranian samples.