Cricetulus is a genus of rodent

Rodent

Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....

 in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

, Cricetidae

Cricetidae

The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice...

 (vole

Vole

A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars . There are approximately 155 species of voles. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America...

s and hamster

Hamster

Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 25 species, classified in six or seven genera....

s). It has seven member species. They inhabit arid

Arid

A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...

 or semi-arid regions in Eurasia

Eurasia

Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...

.

They tend to be more rat

Rat

Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...

like in appearance than typical hamsters, hence the common name "ratlike hamster."

Members of the genera Allocricetulus

Allocricetulus

Allocricetulus is a genus of hamsters in the family Cricetidae, which are found in Asia.It contains the following two species:* Mongolian Hamster * Eversmann's Hamster -References:...

, Tscherskia, and Cansumys are often called ratlike hamsters and are considered to be members of the genus Cricetulus by many authorities.

Species

• Cricetulus alticola — Tibetan dwarf hamster
  Tibetan Dwarf Hamster
  The Tibetan dwarf hamster is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.It is found in China, India, and Nepal.-References:...
  
  
• Cricetulus barabensis — Chinese dwarf hamster
• Cricetulus griseus — Chinese hamster
  Chinese hamster
  The Chinese hamster , is a species of hamster originating from the deserts of northern China and Mongolia.- Description :...
  
  
• Cricetulus kamensis — Kam dwarf hamster
  Kam Dwarf Hamster
  The Kam dwarf hamster is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.It is found only in China.-References:* Baillie, J. 1996. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
  
  
• Cricetulus longicaudatus — long-tailed dwarf hamster
  Long-tailed Dwarf Hamster
  The long-tailed dwarf hamster is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.It is found in China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia.-References:* Baillie, J. 1996. . Downloaded on 9 July 2007....
  
  
• Cricetulus migratorius — grey dwarf hamster
• Cricetulus sokolovi — Sokolov's dwarf hamster
  Sokolov's Dwarf Hamster
  Sokolov's dwarf hamster is a species of rodent in the hamster and vole family Cricetidae. Previously listed as a Chinese striped hamster, it has been listed as a separate species since 1988. It has a distinctive dark stripe down its back on and otherwise grey body...