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Roborovski’s Desert Hamster

Phodopus roborovskii

French: Hamster de Roborovski / German: Roborowski-Zwerghamster / Spanish: Hamster enano de Roborovski

Other common names: Desert Hamster, Dwarf Hamster, Robo, Roborowski's Hamster

Taxonomy. Cricelulus roborovskii Satunin, 1903, Upper part of Shargol’dzhin River, Nan Shan, Qinghai, China.

Analysis of mtDNA demonstrated basal position of P. roborouskii in Phodopus . Within P. roborouskii, there are two distinct mtDNA clades: main clade in most parts of the distribution and eastern clade in Jilin Province, China. Populations of the main clade are characterized by high intraspecific genetic polymorphism in the absence of pronounced geographical structuring. Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.r.roborovski:Satunin,1903—Russia(STuva),NW&SMongolia,andChina(NE&SXinjiang,Gansu,Qinghai,InnerMongolia[=NeiMongol],Ningxia,NShaanxi,NShanxi,andNHebei).

P.r.praedilectusMori,1930—China(EInnerMongolia,NWJilin,andNLiaoning).

P. r. przewalski Vorontsov & Kryukova, 1969 — Kazakhstan (E part of Zaysan Depression in East Kazakhstan Region) and China (NW Xinjiang).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 77-79 mm, tail 9-11 mm, ear 8-11 mm, hindfoot 11-12 mm; weight 19-20 g. Roborovski’s Desert Hamsteris slightly smaller than Campbell’s Desert Hamster (FP. campbelli). Fur coloris light brown with yellowish tints on head and upperparts; lips, cheeks,tail, legs, throat, and underparts are pure white. There are no seasonal changes in color. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 34 and FN = 59.

Habitat. Sandy deserts.

Food and Feeding. Roborovski’s Desert Hamster mainly eats seeds and insects; green plant parts are a minor part of its diet.

Breeding. Captive Roborovski’s Desert Hamsters kept at natural temperatures and light regimes bred in March—-August. During the breeding season, females can produce 3-4 litters. Mean litter sizes in different parts of the distribution are 6-3-7-5 young. Gestation is ¢.18 days. Females born in spring become sexually mature at c.2 months old; females born in autumn become sexually mature in the following spring.

Activity patterns. Roborovski’s Desert Hamster is nocturnal. Daily activity lasts 5-6 hours in summer and 2-3 hours in winter.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Burrows have 3-5 entrances and one nest chamber 10 cm in diameter. Amicable interactions in groups are slightly more frequent than aggressive encounters.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Feoktistova (2008), Lv Xue, Xia Lin, Ge Deyan, Wen Zhixin et al. (2016), Neumann et al. (2006), Ross (1994), Sokolov & Orlov (1980), Zhang Yongzu et al. (1997).