Cricetidae
Author
Don E. Wilson
Author
Russell A. Mittermeier
Author
Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
text
2017
2017-11-30
Lynx Edicions
Barcelona
Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II
204
535
book chapter
80832
10.5281/zenodo.6707142
ab66b2b7-9544-4411-bf61-5bc3651d7bca
978-84-16728-04-6
6707142
3.
Striped Desert Hamster
Phodopus sungorus
French:
Hamster de Dzoungarie
/
German:
Dsungarischer Zwerghamster
/
Spanish:
Hamster enano de Zungaria
Other common names:
Dzungarian Hamster
,
Russian Winter White Dwarf Hamster
,
Siberian Dwarf Hamster
,
Siberian Hamster
,
Striped Hairy-footed Hamster
,
Striped Hamster
Taxonomy.
Mus sungorus Pallas, 1773
,
Grachevsk,
100 km
W of Semipalatinsk, E
Kazakhstan
.
Analysis of mtDNA demonstrated that
P. sungorus
and
P. campbelli
are sister species. Within
P. sungorus
, there are two distinct mtDNA clades: western (southwestern Siberia, Kazakhstan) and eastern (south-central Siberia). Monotypic.
Distribution.
N, C & E Kazakhstan and Russia (adjacent SW Siberia and an isolated population in SC Siberia).
Descriptive notes.
Head—body 70-90 mm, tail 5—15 mm, ear 11-16 mm, hindfoot 11-15 mm; weight 22-25 g. The Striped Desert
Hamster
has a rounded body and short, broad feet. Summer fur is ash-gray to dark brown on head and upperparts, with welldefined black mid-dorsal stripe running from head between eyes to base oftail; ears are dark brown outside and white inside; lips, cheeks, tail, legs, and underparts are white. Winter color is white, with dark gray dorsal stripe. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 28 and FN = 51.
Habitat.
Forest steppes, steppes, and semi-deserts.
Food and Feeding.
The Striped Desert
Hamster
mainly eats seeds and green plant parts; insects are relatively rarely eaten. Food is stored in a special storage chamber inside a burrow.
Breeding.
Main breeding season occurs in April-September; some females reproduce in winter. Females have 3-6 litters/season. Mean litter sizes in different parts of the distribution are 5-6-4 young. Gestation is c.18 days. Captive females become sexually mature at c.4 months old. Males help to rear young.
On following pages: 4. Golden
Hamster
(
Mesocricetus auratus
); 5. Ciscaucasian
Hamster
(
Mesocricetus
raddei
); 6
Hamster
(
Cricetulus migratorius
); 9. Long-tailed Dwarf
Hamster
(
Cricetulus longicaudatus
); 10. Striped Dwarf
Hamster
(
Cricetulus alticola
); 13. Tibetan Dwarf
Hamster
(
Cricetulus kamensis
); 14. Gansu
Hamster
(
Cansumys canus
); 15. Eversmann’s
Hamster
(
Allocricetulus eversmanni
); 18. Common
Hamster
(
Cricetus cricetus
); 19. Long-clawed Mole (
Ondatra zibethicus
); 22. Western Heather Vole (
Phenacomys intermedius
); 23. Eastern Heather Vole (
Phenacomys Tree Vole
(
Arborimus pomo
); 27. Northern Bog Lemming (
Synaptomys borealis
); 28. Southern Bog Lemming (
Synaptomys
31. Norway Brown Lemming (
Lemmus lemmus
); 32. Siberian Brown Lemming (
Lemmus sibiricus
); 33. Nearctic Brown. Brandt's
Hamster
(
Mesocricetus brandti
); 7. Romanian
Hamster
(
Mesocricetus
newton); 8. Gray Dwarf (
Cricetulus barabensis
); 11. Sokolov's Dwarf
Hamster
(
Cricetulus sokolovi
); 12. Ladakh Dwarf
Hamster
Greater Long-tailed
Hamster
(
Tscherskia triton
); 16. Mongolian
Hamster
(
Allocricetulus curtatus
); 17. Vole (
Prometheomys schaposchnikowi
); 20. Round-tailed Muskrat (
Neofiber allen
); 21. Common Muskrat
ungava
); 24. White-footed Vole (
Arborimus albipes
); 25. Red Tree Vole (
Arborimus longicaudus
); 26.
Sonoma
cooperi
); 29. Wood Lemming (
Myopus schisticolor
); 30. Amur Brown Lemming (
Lemmus amurensis
); Lemming (
Lemmus trimucronatus
).
Activity patterns.
The Striped Desert
Hamster
is mainly nocturnal. Activity starts in late dusk and lasts ¢.3—4 hours; in some cases, individuals are active 2-3 hours after sunrise.
Movements, Home range and Social organization.
On average, male Striped Desert Hamsters move 70 m/night, and females move 60 m/night. Home ranges of males and females are small and similar in size. Home ranges of males widely overlap; home ranges of females do not overlap. Burrows have 2-6 entrances and a nest chamber 10-15 cm in diameter, 20-30 cm below ground in summer and 1 m in winter. Male—female behavioral interactions are usually aggressive, and male—male or female—female interactions are more amicable.
Status and Conservation.
Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Striped Desert
Hamster
is listed as data deficient in The Red Data Books of Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Omsk and Tyumen’ Regions.
Bibliography.
Feoktistova (2008), Gashev (2004), Malikova et al. (2005), Neumann et al. (2006), Polyakov et al. (2012), Ross (1998), Zakharov & Korytin (2005).