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Cricetulus migratorius (Pallas, 1773) Common name: Gray hamster. Diagnosis: Ventral color white, with a distinct line of demarcation (Figure 18). Fur is soft and woolly, on the back gray to grayish-brown with a distinct dark stripe along the middle of the back. Cheek pouches present. Tail is less than one-third of body length. Four pairs of mammae. Skull small, with small tympanic bullae. Very distinctive for this species is that the teeth consist of parallel rows of cusps (Figure 19). Localities: Previous records. Al Muwaqqar (Amr & Saliba, 1986); Jāwá (Searight, 1987). Materials extracted from owl pellets. Ex. Bubo bubo, Wādī Zarqā, S Jarash (Bates & Harrison, 1989). Ex. Tyto alba, Aş Şarī ḩ (Rifai et al., 1998). Ex. Bubo bubo ascalaphus, Faydat ad Dahik (Rifai et al., 2000). Ex. Athene noctua, Qaşr al Ḩallābāt (Obuch, per. com.). Ex. Bubo bubo, Marj Al Hammam (Obuch, per. com.). Ex. Tyto alba, Wādī Al Barra (Ḑānā) (Obuch, per. com.). Ex. Tyto alba, Wādī Zarqā Ma’in (Pokin, per. com.). New records. Sūf (Figure 20). Habitat: The gray hamster lives in diverse habitats including moderate and arid areas. It was collected from localities in northern Jordan and at high altitudes near Jāwá (about 1100 m asl). Pellets of several owl species included remains of the gray hamster collected from extremely arid regions in the Jordanian deserts (e.g. Faydat ad Dahik and Qaşr al Ḩallābāt). It was found to breed near wheat cultivated fields in Aş Şarīḩ area. Biology: The gray hamster is a nocturnal rodent and was found to share burrows with Meriones tristrami in northern Jordan. It breeds all year round, where females give birth to 2–11 young (Dahl, 1954). Remains of the gray hamsterwere fond in the pellets of three owls in Jordan: Athene noctua, Bubo bubo and Tyto alba (Bates & Harrison, 1989; Rifai et al., 1998 & 2000; Obuch, per. com). Remarks: Apparently, Jordan represents the most southern distribution range for this species. 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).The karyotype for specimens collected from Jordan was found to be 2n=22, NFa= 40, three telocentric, four metacenteric and four acrocentric pairs of chromosomes (Al-Shyeab, 2013)., Published as part of Amr, Zuhair S., Abu, Mohammad A., Qumsiyeh, Mazin & Eid, Ehab, 2018, Systematics, distribution and ecological analysis of rodents in Jordan, pp. 1-94 in Zootaxa 4397 (1) on page 19, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4397.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1202783, {"references":["Amr, Z. S. & Saliba, E. K. (1986) Ecological observations on the Fat Jird, Psammomys obesus dianae, in the Mowaqqar area of Jordan. Dirasat, 13 (7), 155 - 161.","Al-Shyeab, F. (2013) Kayotypes for the Grey Hamster, Cricetulus migratorius and the Lesser Egyptian Jerboa, Jaculus jaculus from Jordan. Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, 31 (2), 131 - 133."]}

The hamster species used as research models include the Syrian (golden), Mesocricetus auratus; the Chinese (striped-back), Cricetulus griseus; the Armenian (gray), C. migratorius; the European, Cricetus cricetus; and the Djungarian, Phodopus campbelli (Russian dwarf) and P. sungorus (Siberian dwarf). Hamsters are classified as members of the order Rodentia, suborder Myomorpha, superfamily Muroidea and in family Cricetidae. Animals in this family are characterized by large cheek pouches, thick bodies, short tails, and an excess of loose skin. They have incisors that erupt continuously and cuspidate molars that do not continue to grow ((I 1/1, C 0/0, PM 0/0, M 3/3) × 2 = 16). In 2010, it was reported that approximately 146,000 hamsters were used in research in the United States (United States Department of Agriculture, 2010).

8. Gray Dwarf Hamster Cricetulus migratorius French: Hamster migrateur / German: Grauer Zwerghamster / Spanish: Hamster enano gris Other common names: Armenian Hamster, Gray Hamster, Migratory Hamster Taxonomy. Mus migratorius Pallas, 1773, Lower Ural River, W Kazakhstan. Cricetulus migratorius is the only species in the migratorius group. In a genetic study by K. Neumann and colleagues in 2006, the genus Cricetulus was not monophyletic. Cricetulus migratorius was most related to Cricetus and Allocricetulus. They proposed placing C. migratorius in a new monotypic genus. Many subspecies have been described in the literature, but status of these subspecies is unclear. More comprehensive studies are needed. Following G. G. Musser and M. D. Carleton in 2005, no subspecies are considered here. Monotypic. Distribution. NW Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, C & S European Russia, SE Bulgaria, E Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Lebanon,Israel, E Syria, Jordan, N Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, SW Siberia (Omsk Region), Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, NW India (Jammu and Kashmir), N China (Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Inner Mongolia [= Nei Mongol], and Ningxia), and Mongolia. Descriptive notes. Head-body 85-150 mm, tail 19-39 mm, ear 15-21 mm, hindfoot 14-18 mm; weight 20-58 g. Whiskers are up to 35 mm long. Gray Dwarf Hamsters from mountain habitats are bigger and darker than individuals from lowlands. Dorsal pelage is dark gray-brown to sandy brownish gray and clearly separated along sides from white or gray-white ventral pelage. Tail is short and white, mixed with some black hairs above. Cheek pouches extend to shoulders. Forefoot has five palmar tubercles, and hindfoot has six plantar tubercles. Skull is dorsally low and flat. Snoutis long and narrow. There is no supraorbital ridge. Incisive foramina is short and terminates before M'. Auditory bullae are very small and flat. Females have eight mammae. Karyotype is 2n = 22. Habitat. Arid habitats such as dry grassland, steppe, desert, semi-desert, and alpine meadows at elevations up to 3600 m. In Mongolia, Gray Dwarf Hamsters occupy hills and mountains, oases, and valleys with shrubs and herbaceous plants in deserts and semi-deserts. In Turkey, habitats include fields and rocky slopes, with sparse grasses and shrubs. They also occur in agricultural land and gardens. Food and Feeding. The Gray Dwarf Hamster eats roots, shoots, seeds, small fruits, green vegetation, snails, insects, and rarely small reptiles, amphibians, and other rodents. A study in Russia listed 37 different plant species in diets (most abundant Melilotus of Sficinalis, M. albus, and Medicago falcata, Fabaceae; Convolvulus arvensis, Convolvulaceae; Reseda lutea, Resedaceae; Agropyron repens and Bromus squarrosus, Poaceae; Atriplex patula, Amaranthaceae; Galium tricorne, Rubiaceae; Artemisia austriaca, Asteraceae; and Euphorbia gerardiana, Euphorbiaceae). The Gray Dwarf Hamster stores up to 400-500 g of food in storage chambers and gathers plants to store in “hay piles” for winter use. Breeding. A female Gray Dwarf Hamster has up to three litters in a year. Litters have 1-13 young (usually 6-7); gestation lasts 16-21 days; and birth weights are 1-7-2-1 g. Adult coloris attained at 4-5 months old. Lifespan is up to two years. Activity patterns. Gray Dwarf Hamsters are nocturnal and crepuscular and sometimes active during the day even when temperatures are low. They usually do not hibernate. In China, densities peak in June—October. Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Gray Dwarf Hamster is solitary. It digs burrow systems with nesting chambers, food storage areas, and 2-5 entrances. Burrows can be 1-5 m deep and 2 m long. It also uses natural holes and fissures in soil. Important predators are owls, foxes, and jackals. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Bibliography. Aulagnier et al. (2009), Grimmberger et al. (2009), Krystufek & Vohralik (2009), Krystufek, Bukhnikashvili et al. (2016), Musser & Carleton (2005), Neumann et al. (2006), Roberts (1997), Smith & Hoffmann (2008), Yan Zhitang & Zhong Mingming (1984)., Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Cricetidae, pp. 204-535 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 283-284, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6707142

New records of three rare rodent species from SE Bulgaria are reported, as follows: European Snow Vole (Chionomys nivalis) – Madzharovo Town, Eastern Rhodope Mountains (UTM MG01); Gray Dwarf Hamster (Cricetulus migratorius) –Matochina Village (UTM MG 63); and Roach's Mouse-tailed Dormouse (Myomimus roachi) –Malki Voden Village, Eastern Rhodope Mountains (UTM MG11). All three species were found in the food remains of two owl species: the Barn Owl (Tyto alba) and the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco), and the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca).

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the degree of genetic variation and divergence by cellulose acetate gel electrophoresis between samples of Cricetulus migratorius, a cricetine rodent distributed in the Asian part (Anatolia) of Turkey. Out of twenty allozyme loci scored for fifteen enzyme systems, eleven loci were detected to be polymorphic in at least one locality of the Turkish C. migratorius. Indices of genetic variability (the percentage of polymorphic loci, mean number of alleles per locus, and mean observed and expected heterozygosities) were found to be P(95%) = 28, A = 1.3, Ho = 0.226 and He = 0.218, respectively. Nei?s unbiased genetic distances ranged from 0.000 to 0.153, with an average value of 0.069. The mean gene flow was calculated to be Nm = 0.7484. This is a preliminary study describing the allozymic variations of C. migratorius from Turkey. As there are no extensive data on the allozymic variations of C. migratorius from other regions, our results could not be compared, in detail with those of other populations of the species C. migratorius.

This study compared the vocalization of two sympatrically occurring species of hamster: the Eversmann hamster Allocricetulus eversmann and the Grey hamster Cricetulus migratorius. The animals were tested in conspecific pairs for 5 min. Because of the high level of aggressiveness of both species, the hamsters were separated by a mesh partition, but they had olfactory, visual and acoustic contact. Female and male Eversmann hamsters vocalized more than those of Grey hamsters. This was expressed by emission of low-frequency calls as well as by ultrasounds. The difference in vocalization between the two species was also reflected in the basic structure of ultrasonic vocalizations. Grey hamster high-frequency (ultrasonic) pulses were longer and had larger bandwidths and lower minimum frequencies than Eversmann hamster calls. Within-species comparison of vocalization indicated that males of both species emitted fewer ultrasounds than females did. These differences could have an important role in communi...

Demirbas, Yasin/0000-0002-3264-3444 WOS: 000278447900013 The distribution of nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) in Cricetulus migratorius and Meriones tristrami from Central Anatolia was determined. In the karyotype of Cricetulus migratorius the diploid number, fundamental number, and fundamental autosomal number are 22, 44, and 40, respectively. The diploid number, fundamental number, and fundamental autosomal number of Meriones tristrami are 72, 84, and 80, respectively. In Cricetulus migratorius, NORs occur in the telomeric regions of metacentric and subtelocentric autosome pairs. Furthermore, terminally located NORs in metacentric and acrocentric autosomes of Meriones tristrami are presented in this present paper.

Correspondance: patrick.giraudoux@univ-fcomte.fr; International audience; Small mammal assemblages were surveyed in five areas of the northern Junggar basin, Xinjiang, China, using standard trapping methods and index transects. In total, 23 species were recorded. The relationships between habitats and the distribution of the main species were described at local scale in Baihaba, Altai mountains. Three types of assemblages linked to (i) forest (Myodes rufocanus, Microtus agrestis, Myodes rutilus, Apodemus peninsulae, Sorex isodon), (ii) transitional areas and farmland ( mixed pool of species including Apodemus uralensis), and (iii) grassland (Ellobius tancrei, Microtus obscurus, Cricetulus migratorius) were identified. Additional species, such as Microtus oeconomus, could be found along small streams. At a broader scale, species composition was estimated in Kokehada, Narenhebuke and Fuhai areas and compared. Although ecological gradients from mountain grasslands to cold semi-desert partly explain differences in assemblage composition on a regional scale, similar habitats at the same altitude may, however, harbour different assemblages. For example, Spermophilus erythrogenys was the dominant species of the Kokehada grassland and Microtus obscurus and Ellobius tancrei were dominant in Baihaba grassland. In conclusion, the need for multi-scale standard descriptions of small mammal assemblage distribution in the northern Junggar basin of China is indicated

16- V - ÖZET Bu araştırmada Türkiye'nin değişik yörelerinden yakalanan yedi Cricetulus migratorius vernula Thomas, 1917 ve 12 Cricetulus migratorius cinerascens (Wagner, 1848) canlı örneğinin kemik iliğinden, `Colchicine- Hypotonic-Citrate ` yöntemi ile hazırlanan karyotipler ayrıntılı olarak incelenmiştir. Yapılan karyolojik analizler sonucunda (3. m. vernula' da 2n=22, Otozom- lardan beş çiftinin metasentrik, bir çiftinin submetasentrik, dört çifti nin subtelosentrik, X ve Y kromozomlarının izomorf subtelosentrik; C. m. cinerascens de 2n= 22, Otozomlardan beş çiftinin metasentrik, beş çiftinin subtelosentrik, X ve Y kromozomlarının izomorf subtelosentrik olduğu tesbit edilmiştir. İncelenen karyotipler önce kendi aralarında, sonra literatür verileri ile karşılaştırılarak morfolojik özelliklerine göre ayrılan bu iki alttürün, karyolojik özelliklerine göre de ayrıldık ları ilk defa bu çalışma ile belirlenmiştir. -17- SUMMARY In this study bone marrow samples of seven Cricetulus migratorius vernula Thomas, 1917 and 12 Cricetulus mlgratorius clnerascens (Wagner, 1848) which captured from the various parts of Turkey were obtained and karyotypes were investigated is a detailed way by the method of ` Colchicine - Hypotonic - Citrate `. According to the results of karyological analyses it has been determined that 2n=22, five pairs are metacentric, one pair is submetacentric, four pairs are subtelocentric, of the autosomes. X and Y chromosomes are isomorphic subtelosentric in C_. m. vernula and five pairs are metacentric, five pairs are subtelocentric, X and Y chromosomes are subtelocentric in C_. m. cinerascens. Karyotypes were compared with each other and literature data and it has been determined firstly this two subspecies can be discriminated karyologically such as morphologically. 21

Cricetulus migratorius (Pallas, 1773). Reise Prov. Russ. Reichs., 2:703. REVIEWED BY: M. Andera (MA). TYPE LOCALITY: U.S. S. R., W. Kazakhstan, lower Ural River. DISTRIBUTION: S. E. Europe through Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, and Kazakhstan to Mongolia and Ningsia (China), south to Israel, Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan. ISIS NUMBER: 5301410008010006001., Published as part of James H. Honacki, Kenneth E. Kinman & James W. Koeppl, 1982, Order Rodentia (Part 3), pp. 392-476 in Mammal Species of the World (1 st Edition), Lawrence, Kansas, USA :Alien Press, Inc. & The Association of Systematics Collections on page 406, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7353031