NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Collared Lemming
Dicrostonyx groenlandicus (Traill, 1823)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
35 mm slide; color. Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Rodentia; Family: Muridae; Genus: Dicrostonyx; Genus species: Dicrostonyx groenlandicus. Animal characteristics: Identification: In the summer the coat of the collared lemming is brown and heavy. Its winter coat is white, and the third and fourth front claws grow another prong; Habitat: Tundra; Diet: Herbivore: green plants, herbs; Reproduction: Breeding in the summer and winter, collared lemmings can have 2-4 litters per year. Gestation lasts 16-28 days, after which the female gives birth to 5-8 young. Lemmings live for one or two years; Social Structure: Collared lemmings are solitary with males and females keeping separate territories; Behavior: Despite the cold winters of the Arctic, lemmings do not hibernate. Rather, they burrow deep beneath the snow to escape the cold. Lemmings will sometimes migrate long distances, possibly triggered by overcrowding; Status: No special status; Interesting Facts: This is the only rodent that molts to completely white fur in the winter.
Garst, Warren, 1922-2016, photographer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The northern collared lemming or Nearctic collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus), sometimes called the Peary Land collared lemming in Canada, is a small lemming found in Arctic North America and Wrangel Island. At one time, it was considered to be a subspecies of the Arctic lemming (Dicrostonyx torquatus). Some sources believe several other species of collared lemmings found in North America are actually subspecies of D. groenlandicus.
Wikipedia contributors, Northern collared lemming; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:15:17.059476+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Dicrostonyx groenlandicus (Traill, 1823)
- Name authority
- (Traill, 1823)
- Common name
- Collared Lemming
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Cricetidae
- Genus
- Dicrostonyx
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
- superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
- familyCricetidae Fischer, 1817
- subfamilyArvicolinae Gray, 1821
- genusDicrostonyx Gloger, 1841
- speciesDicrostonyx groenlandicus (Traill, 1823)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Dicrostonyx. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson's Collared LemmingDicrostonyx nelsoni Merriam, 1900 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Arctic LemmingDicrostonyx torquatus (Pallas, 1778) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Aleutian Island Collared LemmingDicrostonyx unalascensis Merriam, 1900 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Dicrostonyx groenlandicus kilangmiutak Anderson & Rand, 1945 Anderson & Rand, 1945 | synonym |
| Dicrostonyx groenlandicus lentus Handley, 1953 Handley, 1953 | synonym |
| Dicrostonyx hudsonius alascensis Stone, 1900 Stone, 1900 | synonym |
| Dicrostonyx groenlandicus clarus Handley, 1953 Handley, 1953 | synonym |
| Dicrostonyx rubricatus (Richardson, 1839) (Richardson, 1839) | synonym |
| Dicrostonyx kilangmiutak Anderson & Rand, 1945 Anderson & Rand, 1945 | synonym |
| Arvicola rubricatus Richardson, 1839 Richardson, 1839 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=180328 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:35TZZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.