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'Arvicolinae' is a subfamily of rodents that includes the voles, lemmings, and muskrats. Its closest relatives are members of the other subfamilies in the Cricetidae, the hamsters and New World rats and mice. Sometimes the subfamily Arvicolinae is placed in the family Muridae along with all other members of the superfamily Muroidea. It is also sometimes referred to as 'Microtinae' or is recognized as a family, 'Arvicolidae'.

Contents

Description

Classification

See also

References

External links

Description

The arvicolines are most easily identified based on their molar teeth, which show prismatic cusps consisting of alternating triangles. These molars are ever-growing and are well adapted to a herbivorous lifestyle.
Arvicolines are Holarctic in distribution and represent one of the only major muroid radiations to reach the New World via Beringia. The other are the three subfamilies of New World rats and mice. Arvicolines do very well in the subnuvial zone beneath the winter snowpack and persist throughout winter without needing to hibernate. They are also characterized by extreme fluctuations in population size.
Most arvicolines are small, furry, short tailed voles or lemmings, but some such as ''Ellobius'' and ''Hyperacrius'' are well adapted to a fossorial lifestyle. Others, such as ''Ondatra'', ''Neofiber'', and ''Arvicola'' have evolved a larger body size and associated with an aquatic lifestyle.
Some authorities have placed the zokors within the Arvicolinae, but they have been shown to be unrelated.
The subfamily Arvicolinae contains seven tribes, 26 genera, and 143 species.

Classification

★ Subfamily 'Arvicolinae' - voles, lemmings, muskrats

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★ Tribe Arvicolini

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★ Genus ''Arvicola'' - water voles

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★ Genus ''Blanfordimys''

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★ Genus ''Chionomys''

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★ Genus ''Lasiopodomys''

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★ Genus ''Lemmiscus'' - sagebrush vole

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★ Genus ''Microtus'' - voles

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★ Genus ''Neodon''

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★ Genus ''Phaiomys''

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★ Genus ''Proedromys'' - Duke of Bedford's vole

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★ Genus ''Volemys''

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★ Tribe Dicrostonychini - collared lemmings

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★ Genus ''Dicrostonyx'' - collared lemmings

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★ Tribe Ellobiusini - mole voles

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★ Genus ''Ellobius'' - mole voles

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★ Tribe Lagurini

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★ Genus ''Eolagurus'' - yellow steppe lemming

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★ Genus ''Lagurus'' - steppe vole

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★ Tribe Lemmini - true lemmings

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★ Genus ''Lemmus'' - lemmings

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★ Genus ''Myopus''

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★ Genus ''Synaptomys'' - bog lemmings

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★ Tribe Myodini

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★ Genus ''Alticola'' - voles from Central Asia

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★ Genus ''Caryomys''

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★ Genus ''Eothenomys'' - voles from East Asia

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★ Genus ''Hyperacrius'' - voles from Pakistan

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★ Genus ''Myodes'' - red-backed voles

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★ Tribe Neofibrini

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★ Genus ''Neofiber'' - round-tailed muskrat

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★ Tribe Ondatrini - muskrat

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★ Genus ''Ondatra'' - muskrat

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★ Tribe Pliomyini

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★ Genus ''Dinaromys'' - voles from the Dinaric Alps

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★ Tribe Prometheomyini - Prometheus mouse

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★ Genus ''Prometheomys'' - Prometheus mouse

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★ ''incertae sedis''

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★ Genus ''Arborimus'' - tree voles

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★ Genus ''Phenacomys'' - heather voles

See also

★ Vole

★ Lemming

★ Muskrat

References

★ McKenna, M. C. and S. K. Bell. 1997. Classification of Mammals above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York.

★ Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894-1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

★ Steppan, S. J., R. A. Adkins, and J. Anderson. 2004. Phylogeny and divergence date estimates of rapid radiations in muroid rodents based on multiple nuclear genes. Systematic Biology, 53:533-553.

External links