A highland hamster recorded in western China, where the account describes valleys with grassland, scrub, and cultivated fields.
The back is greyish buff to brown with dark-tipped hairs. The underside is white, and the tail is darker above and pale below.
It occurs in scrub, grassland, and cultivated fields; the account says it favors valleys with chenopod and legume plants.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.