Mesocricetus newtoni (Nehring, 1898) . Zool. Anz., 21: 329.

TYPE LOCALITY: Bulgaria, Kolarovgrad (=Schumla or Shumen) .

DISTRIBUTION: E. Bulgaria; E. Rumania.

COMMENT: Considered a distinct species by Corbet, 1978:93; breeding experiments by Raicu and Bratosin, 1968, Genet. Res. Camb., 11: 113-114, produced sterile offspring between newtoni and auratus .