Urar Calomyscus

Open encyclopedia reference

The Urar mouse-like hamster or Azerbaijani mouse-like hamster (Calomyscus urartensis) is a medium-sized mouse-like hamster from Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan and northwestern Azarbaijan Province, Iran. The species is named after the ancient kingdom of Urartu centered around the Armenian Highlands. It is among the better studied representatives of this poorly known genus. The initial species description was based on a unique chromosome number (2n=32; FNa=42) called a karyotype. The species status has been confirmed with other chromosomal studies and morphometric studies. The species description by Vorontsov et al. and subsequent prompted elevation of several subspecies of Calomyscus bailwardi to species status. The species is slightly larger than the Great Balkhan mouse-like hamster, its sister taxon, and significantly larger than Hotson's mouse-like hamster. It has a yellowish tint to its ventral fur, which is notable as most mouse-like hamsters have pure white fur instead. The tail of the Urar mouse-like hamster is white at the tip but bicoloured throughout.

Wikipedia contributors, Urar mouse-like hamster; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:35:56.554186+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Calomyscus urartensis Vorontsov & Kartavseva, 1979

Name authority

Vorontsov & Kartavseva, 1979

Common name

Urar Calomyscus

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Calomyscidae

Genus

Calomyscus

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
12. suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
13. superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
14. familyCalomyscidae Vorontsov & Potapova, 1979
15. genusCalomyscus Thomas, 1905
16. speciesCalomyscus urartensis Vorontsov & Kartavseva, 1979

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Calomyscus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 4 records assigned to Calomyscidae.

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.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=632755 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

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:PYLL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.