The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Rodents: part two

I've got shots of Social Vole - will check if they are halfway decent for you if mine aren't good enough, those taken by @ShonenJake13 or @ThylacineAlive might be.

 

Dichrostonychini (collared lemmings) is the second Tribe from Arvicolinae. It contains eight species in the single genus Dichrostonyx. Unsurprisingly, the IUCN notes that "Dicrostonyx taxonomy is complex and not well resolved."


None of the species are depicted here.


Northern Collared Lemming Dicrostonyx groenlandicus
Ungava Collared Lemming Dicrostonyx hudsonius
Nelson's Collared Lemming Dicrostonyx nelsoni
Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemming Dicrostonyx nunatakensis (formerly treated as a subspecies of Dicrostonyx groenlandicus)
Richardson's Collared Lemming Dicrostonyx richardsoni
Arctic Lemming Dicrostonyx torquatus
Unalaska Collared Lemming Dicrostonyx unalascensis
Wrangel Lemming Dicrostonyx vinogradovi

 

Ellobiusini (mole voles) is the third Tribe from Arvicolinae. It contains five species in the single genus Ellobius.


One species is depicted here, albeit only as a museum specimen.


Northern Mole Vole Ellobius talpinus
Generally four subspecies are used (rufescens, talpinus, tanaiticus, transcaspiae) but up to eight have been described.


Photo by @Chlidonias at the Otago Museum (New Zealand); note that this is a very old taxidermy mount and does not represent the colouration as it would be in the living animal.


Northern Mole-Vole (Ellobius talpinus), Otago Museum - ZooChat


The other four species in the genus:

Alai Mole Vole Ellobius alaicus
Southern Mole Vole Ellobius fuscocapillus
Transcaucasian Mole Vole Ellobius lutescens
Zaisan Mole Vole Ellobius tancrei

 

Lagurini (steppe lemmings) is the fourth Tribe from Arvicolinae. It contains three species in two genera: Eolagurus, Lagurus.


Two species, representing both genera, are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


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Eolagurus
Two species


Yellow Steppe Lemming Eolagurus luteus
Monotypic?

Photo by @Glutton at Moscow Zoo (Russia)


Yellow steppe lemming - ZooChat


The second species in the genus is Przewalski's Steppe Lemming Eolagurus przewalskii which is not depicted here. It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of Eolagurus luteus.


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Lagurus
One species

The Sagebrush Vole Lemmiscus curtatus (of the Tribe Arvicolini) has also formerly been placed in Lagurus.


Steppe Lemming Lagurus lagurus
Four subspecies: abacanicus, agressus, altorum, lagurus

Photo by @vogelcommando


https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/steppe-lemmings.663858/

 

Lemmini ("true" lemmings) is the fifth Tribe from Arvicolinae. It contains eight species in three genera: Lemmus, Myopus, Synaptomys.

Two species from two genera are depicted here: Lemmus, Synaptomys.


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Lemmus
Five species, one of which is represented in the Zoocat galleries.


North American Brown Lemming Lemmus trimucronatus
Nine subspecies: alascensis, chrysogaster, harroldi, helvolus, minusculus, nigripes, subarcticus, trimucronatus, yukonensis. The subspecies nigripes from St George Island has been elevated to full species by some authors, although this is not generally followed. The eastern Siberian subspecies chrysogaster has also been treated as a full species.

Photo by @Pleistohorse in the wild, Alaska (USA)


North American Brown Lemming - Alaska - ZooChat


The remaining four species in the genus are listed below:

Amur Lemming Lemmus amurensis
Norway Lemming Lemmus lemmus
Siberian Brown Lemming Lemmus sibiricus
Wrangel Island Lemming Lemmus portenkoi


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Myopus
One species, not represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Wood Lemming Myopus schisticolor


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Synaptomys
Two species, one of which is represented in the Zoocat galleries.


Northern Bog Lemming Synaptomys borealis
Nine subspecies: artemisiae, borealis, chapmani, dalli, inuitus, medioximus, smithi, sphagnicola, truei

Photo by @Green_mamba at Pairi Daiza (Belgium)


[2017] Northern bog lemming - ZooChat


The second species in the genus, not depicted here, is the Southern Bog Lemming Synaptomys cooperi.

 

Myodini (Asian voles) is the sixth Tribe from Arvicolinae. It contains about 36 species in five genera: Alticola, Caryomys, Eothenomys, Hyperacrius, Myodes.

Five species from two genera are depicted here: Alticola, Myodes.


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Alticola
Twelve species, one of which is represented in the Zoochat galleries.

There are three subgenera: Platycranius (for A. strelzowi); Aschizomys (for A. lemminus, A. macrotis, A. olchonensis); and Alticola (for the other eight species). The taxonomy of the genus has always been the matter of debate, with the subgenus Alticola ranging anywhere from one lumped species (A. roylei) to the eight recognised here.


Gobi Altai Mountain Vole Alticola barakshin
Monotypic?

Photo by @baboon in the wild, Mongolia


Gobi Altai mountain vole - ZooChat


The remaining species in the genus Alticola are below:

White-tailed Mountain Vole Alticola albicauda
Silver Mountain Vole Alticola argentatus
Lemming Vole Alticola lemminus
Large-eared Vole Alticola macrotis
Central Kashmir Vole Alticola montosa
Lake Baikal Mountain Vole Alticola olchonensis
Royle's Mountain Vole Alticola roylei
Mongolian Silver Vole Alticola semicanus
Stolička's Mountain Vole Alticola stoliczkanus
Flat-headed Vole Alticola strelzowi
Tuva Silver Vole Alticola tuvinicus


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Caryomys
Two species, neither of are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Ganzu Vole Caryomys eva
Kolan Vole Caryomys inez


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Eothenomys
Eight species, none of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Kachin Red-backed Vole Eothenomys cachinus
Pratt's Vole Eothenomys chinensis
Southwest China Vole Eothenomys custos
Père David's Vole Eothenomys melanogaster
Yunnan Red-backed Vole Eothenomys miletus
Chaotung Vole Eothenomys olitor
Yulungshan Vole Eothenomys proditor
Ward's Red-backed Vole Eothenomys wardi


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Hyperacrius
Two species, neither of are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

True's Vole Hyperacrius fertilis
Murree Vole Hyperacrius wynnei


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Myodes
Twelve species, four of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Southern Red-back Vole Myodes gapperi
As many as 29 subspecies have been described, but as always seems to be the case amongst the Myomorpha rodents, there is a lot of confliction and confusion around the forms. This may also be a species-complex.

Photo by @Giant Eland in the wild, Maine (USA) (subspecies ochraceous - synonymised with the subspecies gapperi by other authors)


southern red-backed vole or Gapper's red-backed vole (Myodes gapperi) - ZooChat


Bank Vole Myodes glareolus
Over twenty subspecies have been named but with much dispute about validity.

Photo by @LaughingDove in the wild, Germany (subspecies glareolus)


Bank Vole - ZooChat


Photo by @HOMIN96 at Plzen Zoo (Czech Republic)


Bank Vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) - ZooChat


Northern Red-backed Vole Myodes rutilus
Up to fourteen subspecies have been described but there seems to be little agreement on how they should be treated.

Photo by @Pleistohorse in the wild, Alaska (wild) (subspecies dawsoni which is the main Alaskan form)


Northern Red-backed Vole - Denali National Park-Alaska - ZooChat


Smith's Red-backed Vole Myodes smithii
Subspecies: kageus and okiensis may be recognised.

Photo by @Giant Eland at Tama Zoo (Japan)


Smith's red backed vole (Myodes smithii) - ZooChat


The remaining eight species in the genus Myodes are below:

Anderson's Red-backed Vole Myodes andersoni
Western Red-backed Vole Myodes californicus
Tien Shan Red-backed Vole Myodes centralis
Imaizumi's Red-backed Vole Myodes imaizumii
Korean Red-backed Vole Myodes regulus
Hokkaido Red-backed Vole Myodes rex
Grey Red-backed Vole Myodes rufocanus
Shansei Vole Myodes shanseius

 

Neofibrini (Round-tailed Muskrat) is the seventh Tribe from Arvicolinae. It contains just one species, which is not depicted here.


Round-tailed Muskrat Neofiber alleni

 

Ondatrini (Muskrat) is the eighth Tribe from Arvicolinae. It contains just one species, which is depicted below.


Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus
Sixteen subspecies have been described based on morphology and distribution, but genetic studies have been limited: albus, aquilonius, bernardi, cinnamominus, goldmani, macrodon, mergens, obscurus, occipitalis, osoyoosensis, pallidus, ripensis, rivalicius, spatulatus, zalophus, zibethicus


Photo by @Ituri in the wild, Idaho (USA) (subspecies osoyoosensis)


Muskrat - ZooChat


Photo by @Pleistohorse in the wild, Alaska (USA) (subspecies zalophus)


Common Muskrat - Alaska - ZooChat


Photo by @ChunkyMunky pengopus in the wild, Illinois (USA) (subspecies zibethicus)


Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) - ZooChat

 

Pliomyini (Balkan Snow Vole) is the ninth Tribe from Arvicolinae. It contains just one species, which is depicted below.

Note: the generic name of the sole living species Dinaromys bogdanovi does not match the name of the Tribe (Pliomyini) because, although the Tribe is currently monotypic, the fossil genus Pliomys was described prior to the discovery of the living species.


Balkan Snow Vole Dinaromys bogdanovi
Eight subspecies: bogdanovi, coeruleus, grebenscikovi, korabensis, longipedis, marakovici, preniensis, trebevicensis


Photo by @Jakub at Zagreb Zoo (Croatia)


https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/balkan-snow-vole.664234/

 

Prometheomyini (Long-clawed Mole Vole) is the tenth and final Tribe from Arvicolinae. It contains just one species, which is not depicted here.


Long-clawed Mole Vole Prometheomys schaposchnikowi

 

That'd be good. With only 31 species represented out of the 700 in Cricetidae, this thread needs all the help it can get!

 

Here you go:



The photo was taken at Tierpark Schönebeck

 

Cricetinae (hamsters)

One of the smallest subfamilies in Cricetidae, containing only nineteen species in seven genera: Allocricetulus, Cansumys, Cricetulus, Cricetus, Mesocricetus, Phodopus, Tscherskia.


Seven species from four genera are represented in the Zoochat galleries, from the genera Cricetulus, Cricetus, Mesocricetus and Phodopus.

 

Allocricetulus
Two species, neither of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Mongolian Hamster Allocricetulus curtatus

Eversmann's or Kazakh Hamster Allocricetulus eversmanni

 

Cansumys
One species, not represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Gansu Hamster Cansumys canus

 

Cricetulus
Seven species, of which one species is represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Chinese Striped Hamster Cricetulus griseus
Monotypic
This species may also be treated as a subspecies of Cricetulus barabensis.


Both photos by @vogelcommando at a private collection.


Chinese hamster - ZooChat


Chinese hamster - ZooChat



The six remaining species in the genus are below:

Tibetan or Ladakh Dwarf Hamster Cricetulus alticola
Chinese Dwarf Hamster Cricetulus barabensis
Kam Dwarf Hamster Cricetulus kamensis
Long-tailed Dwarf Hamster Cricetulus longicaudatus
Grey Dwarf Hamster Cricetulus migratorius
Sokolov's Dwarf Hamster Cricetulus sokolovi

 

Cricetus
One species


Common Hamster Cricetus cricetus
About ten subspecies have been in use, especially in Russia and Kazhakstan multiple subspecies have been described, but it looks like they are mostly treated as synonyms now which is suspect given the species' wide range. The three (former) European subspecies (canescens, cricetus, nehringi) are now generally merged into one (cricetus).

Also known as the European Hamster or Black-bellied Hamster.


Both photos below by @lintworm in the wild, Austria


European hamster - Vienna - ZooChat



European hamster - Vienna - ZooChat

 

Mesocricetus
Four species, two of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Golden or Syrian Hamster Mesocricetus auratus
Monotypic?


Photo by @Giant Eland at Plzen Zoo (Czech Republic)


golden hamster or Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) - ZooChat


Romanian Hamster Mesocricetus newtoni
Monotypic


Photo by @Najade of a wild-caught animal, Romania


Romanian Hamster (Mesocricetus newtoni) - ZooChat


The remaining two species in the genus are below:

Turkish or Brandt's Hamster Mesocricetus brandti
Ciscaucasian hamster Mesocricetus raddei

 

Phodopus
Three species, all of which are probably represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Roborovski's or Desert Dwarf Hamster Phodopus roborovskii

Photo by @vogelcommando in a private collection


Roborowski Dwarf Hamsters - ZooChat



The other two species in the genus are the Campbell's Dwarf Hamster Phodopus campbelli and the Djungarian Dwarf Hamster Phodopus sungorus (also known as the Russian, Siberian, or Striped Dwarf Hamster). These two species are extremely similar in appearance and both also have a lot of domestic colourations which really complicates identification of photographs. I've put three photos below but I don't know if they are titled correctly. There are a few more photos in the Zoochat galleries but these are the best ones.


Photo by @vogelcommando in a pet shop (not identified to species on the photo, but I think it is Phodopus campbelli)


Dwarf hamster - ZooChat


Two photos by @Giant Eland in a pet shop (titled as being Phodopus campbelli but I think it is Phodopus sungorus):


Campbell’s dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli) - ZooChat


Campbell’s dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli) - ZooChat

 

Tscherskia
One species, not represented in the Zoochat galleries.


Greater Long-tailed or Korean Hamster Tscherskia triton