Phodopus sungorus Pallas 1773

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.

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).