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Arvicolinae

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Wikipedia

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.

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 subnival 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

Tribe Arvicolini

Genus Arvicola - water voles
Genus Blanfordimys - Afghan vole and Bucharian vole
Genus Chionomys - snow voles
Genus Lasiopodomys
Genus Lemmiscus - sagebrush vole
Genus Microtus - voles
Genus Neodon - mountain voles
Genus Phaiomys
Genus Proedromys - Duke of Bedford's vole
Genus Volemys

Tribe Dicrostonychini - collared lemmings

Genus Dicrostonyx - collared lemmings
Genus Predicrostonyx †

Tribe Ellobiusini - mole voles

Genus Ellobius - mole voles

Tribe Lagurini

Genus Eolagurus - yellow steppe lemming
Genus Lagurus - steppe vole

Tribe Lemmini - true lemmings

Genus Lemmus - lemmings
Genus Myopus
Genus Synaptomys - bog lemmings

Tribe Myodini

Genus Alticola - voles from Central Asia
Genus Caryomys
Genus Eothenomys - voles from East Asia
Genus Hyperacrius - voles from Pakistan
Genus Myodes - red-backed voles

Tribe Neofibrini

Genus Neofiber - round-tailed muskrat

Tribe Ondatrini - muskrat

Genus Ondatra - muskrat

Tribe Pliomyini

Genus Dinaromys - voles from the Dinaric Alps

Tribe Prometheomyini - Prometheus mouse

Genus Prometheomys - Prometheus mouse

incertae sedis

Genus Arborimus - tree voles
Genus Phenacomys - heather voles

Fossil species

Tribe Clethrionomyini

Genus Altaiomys

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.