Meriones Illiger, 1811 . Prodr. Syst. Mamm. Avium., p. 82.

TYPE SPECIES: Mus tamariscinus Pallas, 1773 .

SYNONYMS: Cheliones, Idomeneus, Meraeus, Pallasiomys, Parameriones .

COMMENTS: A member of the tribe Rhombomyini in the scheme of Pavlinov et al. (1990). No modern systematic revision is available for Meriones . The early revision by Chaworth-Musters and Ellerman (1947), as updated and modified by Ellerman and Morrison-Scott (1951) and Corbet (1978c), represents the most current review of species in the genus. Additional taxonomic, distributional, and evolutionary views are found in the taxonomic reports and regional faunal studies cited throughout the accounts below. Most workers agree on definitions of the species we list here, but results of careful systematic revision will probably uncover a greater number of species. All chromosomal data concerning Meriones up to 1967 was summarized by Nadler and Lay (1967) in the context of assessing relationships among the species. Additional chromosomal data and its significance to understanding phylogenetic relationships among four species of Meriones reported by Benazzou et al. (1982). Lay and Nadler (1969) summarized laboratory hybridization attempts among several species of Meriones . Records of species from Iran and Pakistan reported by Lay et al. (1970).