Cricetulus

Cricetulus Temporal range: Late Miocene to Recent
Chinese hamster, white-spotted type
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Cricetidae
Subfamily:	Cricetinae
Genus:	Cricetulus A. Milne-Edwards, 1867
Type species
Cricetulus griseus[1] (Pallas, 1773)
Species
See text.

Cricetulus is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae (voles and hamsters); it has seven member species that inhabit arid or semi-arid regions in Eurasia.

They tend to be more ratlike in appearance than typical hamsters, hence the common name ratlike hamster. Many of the species are considered dwarf hamsters. However, members of the genera Allocricetulus, Tscherskia, and Cansumys are often called ratlike hamsters, and so are considered to be members of the genus Cricetulus by many authorities.

Species

Three species are universally accepted in this genus:

• Cricetulus barabensis — Chinese striped hamster
• Cricetulus longicaudatus — long-tailed dwarf hamster
• Cricetulus sokolovi — Sokolov's dwarf hamster

Two species were moved to the genus Urocricetus in 2018, but have historically been included in this genus:^[2]

• Urocricetus alticola — Tibetan dwarf hamster
• Urocricetus kamensis — Kam dwarf hamster

Other species are sometimes recognized, but further research is likely needed to consider them valid:^[2]

• Cricetulus griseus — usually considered a synonym of Cricetulus barabensis
• Cricetulus lama — considered a synonym of Urocricetus kamensis by the American Society of Mammalogists, but considered valid by the IUCN
• Cricetulus tibetanus — considered a synonym of Urocricetus kamensis by the American Society of Mammalogists, but considered valid by the IUCN

Additionally, the grey dwarf hamster Nothocricetulus migratorius was included in this genus until 2018.^[2]

See also

• Phodopus, other dwarf hamsters

References

1. Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. Lebedev, V. S.; Bannikova, A. A.; Neumann, K.; Ushakova, M. V.; Ivanova, N. V.; Surov, A. V. (26 February 2018). "Molecular phylogenetics and taxonomy of dwarf hamsters Cricetulus Milne-Edwards, 1867 (Cricetidae, Rodentia): description of a new genus and reinstatement of another". Zootaxa. 4387 (2). doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4387.2.5. Retrieved 9 December 2024.

• Duff, A. and A. Lawson. 2004. Mammals of the World A Checklist. New Haven, Yale University Press.
• Nowak, Ronald M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1936 pp. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9