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 Milne-Edwards, 1867
Type species
Cricetulus griseus[1]
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

• Cricetulus alticola — Tibetan dwarf hamster
• Cricetulus barabensis — Chinese striped hamster
• Cricetulus griseus — Chinese hamster
• Cricetulus kamensis — Kam dwarf hamster
• Cricetulus lama — Lama dwarf hamster
• Cricetulus longicaudatus — long-tailed dwarf hamster
• Cricetulus sokolovi — Sokolov's dwarf hamster

See also

• Phodopus, other dwarf hamsters

References

• 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