Romanian Hamster – Mesocricetus newtoni

Mesocricetus newtoniNehring, 1898

Accepted name, Mammal Species of the World 2005

Systematic summaries and comparisons with other species are provided by Niethammer (1982c) and Mitchell-Jones et al. (1999); 2n = 38 (Raicu and Bratosin, 1965). Hosey (1982) postulated origin of this species around 20,000-10,000 years before present, resulting from dispersion of Near East Mesocricetus across a Bosphorus land bridge and subsequent isolation due to post-Pleistocene sea level increase.

• Wilson, D and Reeder, D. (eds.) 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 3rd ed. -- 2142 pp. Johns Hopkins University Press.