Cricetulus sokolovi Orlov and Malygin 1988

Cricetulus sokolovi Orlov and Malygin 1988, Zool. Zh., 67: 305.

Type Locality: W Mongolia, Bayan Hongor, SW shore Orog Nuur Lake (fide Pavlinov, 2002, in litt) .

Vernacular Names: Sokolov's Dwarf Hamster.

Distribution: W and S Mongolia, C Nei Mongol of N China.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: A species well defined by chromosomal and pelage traits (Malyguin et al., 1992; Orlov and Malygin, 1988). Samples from Mongolia had been identified as C. obscurus (Kral et al., 1984, and references therein; Orlov and Malygin, 1988); true obscurus is a form of C. barabensis .