Mesocricetus auratus (Waterhouse 1839)

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 : 1044

Mesocricetus auratus (Waterhouse 1839)

[Cricetus] auratus Waterhouse 1839 , Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1839: 57.

Type Locality: Syria, Aleppo.

Vernacular Names: Golden Hamster.

Distribution: Vicinity of type locality and SE Turkey.

Conservation: IUCN – Endangered.

Discussion: Lyman and O’Brien (1977) discussed the geographic range of auratus and evidence for segregating it from M. brandti ; also see Kryštufek and Vohralík (2001). Based upon chromosomal data, Doğramaci et al. (1994 b) recorded M. auratus from SE Turkey, and Yiğit et al. (2000 b) later identified only one sample from 10 km E Kilis Prov., SE Turkey, after intensive survey efforts. They recorded M. brandti from throughout Turkey and contrasted its morphology and chromosomes (2n = 42, FN = 82 and 84) with those of M. auratus (2n = 44, FN = 82). Adler (1948) and Murphy (1985) recorded the origin of the laboratory stocks of M. auratus and history of their distributions to various laboratories in France, India, and the United States. Coronary arteries are described by Sans-Coma et al. (1993) and infraorbital glands by Kühnel (1983).