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Abstract:
During a systematic survey of the small mam-mals in the relatively unexplored north-western regions of the Tibetan plateau in India, we captured and identified the desert hamster Phodopus roborovskii using molecular phylogenetic methods. We also provide revised distribu-tional estimates for this species using niche modelling (Maxent and 19 bioclimatic variables), taking into account sampling bias. We evaluated suitable habitats for the spe-cies, identifying regions in the Trans-Himalayas that may harbour this species. This study improves the knowledge of the desert hamster’s range and is a new record and an addition to the Indian sub-continental mammalian fauna, ~750 km southward extension from its known range.
