Muroidea (Superfamily)

Overview

Muroidea is a large superfamily of rodents. It includes hamsters, gerbils, true mice and rats, and many other relatives. They occupy a vast variety of habitats on every continent except Antarctica. Some authorities have placed all members of this group into a single family, Muridae, due to difficulties in determining how the subfamilies are related to one another. The following taxonomy is based on recent well-supported molecular phylogenies.

The muroids are classified in 6 families, 19 subfamilies, around 280 genera and at least 1300 species.

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Family Platacanthomyidae (spiny dormouse and pygmy dormice)
Family Spalacidae fossorial muroids
- Subfamily Myospalacinae (zokors)
- Subfamily Rhizomyinae (bamboo rats and root rats)
- Subfamily Spalacinae (blind mole rats)
Clade Eumuroida - typical muroids
- Family Calomyscidae
  - Subfamily Calomyscinae (mouse-like ha msters)
- Family Nesomyidae
  - Subfamily Cricetomyinae (pouched rats and mice)
  - Subfamily Dendromurinae (African climbing mice, gerbil mice, fat mice and forest mice)
  - Subfamily Mystromyinae (white-tailed rat)
  - Subfamily Nesomyinae (Malagasy rats and mice)
  - Subfamily Petromyscinae (rock mice and the climbing swamp mouse)
- Family Cricetidae
  - Subfamily Arvicolinae (voles, lemmings and muskrat)
  - Subfamily Cricetinae (true hamsters)
  - Subfamily Neotominae (North American rats and mice)
  - Subfamily Sigmodontinae (New World rats and mice)
  - Subfamily Tylomyinae
- Family Muridae
  - Subfamily Deomyinae (spiny mice, brush furred mice, link rat)
  - Subfamily Gerbillinae (gerbils, jirds and sand rats)
  - Subfamily Leimacomyinae (Togo Mouse)
  - Subfamily Lophiomyinae (crested rat)
  - Subfamily Murinae (Old World rats and mice including vlei rats)

b>Muroidea is a large superfamily of rodents. It includes hamsters, gerbils, true mice and rats, and many other relatives. They occupy a vast variety of habitats on every continent except Antarctica. Some authorities have placed all members of this group into a single family, Muridae, due to difficulties in determining how the subfamilies are related to one another. The following taxonomy is based on recent well-supported molecular phylogenies.

The muroids are classified in 6 families, 19 subfamilies, around 280 genera and at least 1300 species.

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Family Platacanthomyidae (spiny dormouse and pygmy dormice)
Family Spalacidae fossorial muroids
- Subfamily Myospalacinae (zokors)
- Subfamily Rhizomyinae (bamboo rats and root rats)
- Subfamily Spalacinae (blind mole rats)
Clade Eumuroida - typical muroids
- Family Calomyscidae
  - Subfamily Calomyscinae (mouse-like hamsters)

References

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Jansa, Sharon. A.; Giarla, Thomas C.; Lim, Burton K. (2009), "The Phylogenetic Position of the Rodent Genus Typhlomys and the Geographic Origin of Muroidea", Journal of Mammalogy 90 (5): 1083?1094, doi:10.1644/08-MAMM-A-318.1 .
Jansa, Sharon. A.; Weksler, Marcelo (2004), "Phylogeny of muroid rodents: relationships within and among major lineages as determined by IRBP gene sequences" (PDF), Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 31 (1): 256?276, doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.07.002, PMID 15019624, http://www.faculty.uaf.edu/ffmw1/pdfs/jansa.2004.pdf .
Michaux, Johan; Reyes, Aurelio; Catzeflis, Fran?ois (November 1, 2001), "Evolutionary History of the Most Speciose Mammals: Molecular Phylogeny of Muroid Rodents", Molecular Biology and Evolution 18 (11): 2017?2031, ISSN 0737-4038, PMID 11606698, http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/18/11/2017 .
Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 1993. Family Muridae. pp. 501?755 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.
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.
Norris, R. W.; Zhou, K. Y.; Zhou, C. Q.; Yang, G.; Kilpatrick, C. W.; Honeycutt, R. L. (2004), "The phylogenetic position of the zokors (Myospalacinae) and comments on the families of muroids (Rodentia)", Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 31 (3): 972?978, doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.10.020, PMID 15120394.
Steppan, Scott; Adkins, Ronald; Anderson, Joel (2004), "Phylogeny and Divergence-Date Estimates of Rapid Radiations in Muroid Rodents Based on Multiple Nuclear Genes" (PDF), Systematic Biology 53 (4): 533?553, doi:10.1080/10635150490468701, PMID 15371245, http://bio.fsu.edu/~steppan/Steppan_et_al_Muroidea_2004.pdf .

Taxonomy

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The Superfamily Muroidea is a member of the Series Amniota. Here is the complete "parentage" of Muroidea:

Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
    - Branch: Deuterostomia Grobben, 1908 - Deuterostomes
      - Infrakingdom: Chordonia (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
        Phylum: Chordata Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
        Subphylum: Vertebrata Cuvier, 1812 - Vertebrates
        Infraphylum: Gnathostomata auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
        Superclass: Tetrapoda Goodrich, 1930 - Tetrapods
        Class: Mammalia C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Mammals
        Subclass: Theriiformes (Rowe, 1988) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
        Infraclass: Holotheria (Wible et al., 1995) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
        Superlegion: Trechnotheria McKenna, 1975
        Legion: Cladotheria McKenna, 1975
        Sublegion: Zatheria McKenna, 1975
        Infralegion: Tribosphenida (McKenna, 1975) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
        Supercohort: Theria (Parker & Haswell, 1897) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997 - a genus of Click Beetles (Elateridae)
        Cohort: Placentalia (Owen, 1837) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997 - Placentals
        Magnorder: Epitheria (Mckenna, 1975) M.c. Mckenna & S.k. Bell, 1997
        Superorder: Preptotheria (McKenna, 1975) McKenna, in Stucky & McKenna, in Benton, ed., 1993
        Grandorder: Anagalida (Szalay & McKenna, 1971) McKenna, 1975
        Mirorder: Simplicidentata (Weber, 1904) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
        Order: Rodentia Bowdich, 1821 - Rodents
        Suborder: Myomorpha Brandt, 1855 - Mice, Rats
        Infraorder: Myodonta (Schaub, in Grassé & Dekeyser, 1955) M.C. McKenna & S.K. Bell, 1997
        Superfamily: Muroidea Illiger, 1811

The Superfamily Muroidea is further organized into finer groupings including:

Family (2): Muridae · Simimyidae

Families

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Muridae

Muridae is the largest family of mammals. It contains over 700 species found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. They have been introduced worldwide. The group includes true mice and rats, gerbils, and relatives. [more]

Simimyidae

[more]

At least 3 species and subspecies belong to the Family Simimyidae.

More info about the Family Simimyidae may be found here.

References

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Jansa, Sharon. A.; Giarla, Thomas C.; Lim, Burton K. (2009), "The Phylogenetic Position of the Rodent Genus Typhlomys and the Geographic Origin of Muroidea", Journal of Mammalogy 90 (5): 1083?1094, doi:10.1644/08-MAMM-A-318.1 .
Jansa, Sharon. A.; Weksler, Marcelo (2004), "Phylogeny of muroid rodents: relationships within and among major lineages as determined by IRBP gene sequences" (PDF), Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 31 (1): 256?276, doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.07.002, PMID 15019624, http://www.faculty.uaf.edu/ffmw1/pdfs/jansa.2004.pdf .
Michaux, Johan; Reyes, Aurelio; Catzeflis, Fran?ois (Novembe r 1, 2001), "Evolutionary History of the Most Speciose Mammals: Molecular Phylogeny of Muroid Rodents", Molecular Biology and Evolution 18 (11): 2017?2031, ISSN 0737-4038, PMID 11606698, http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/18/11/2017 .
Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 1993. Family Muridae. pp. 501?755 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.
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 Unive rsity Press, Baltimore.
Norris, R. W.; Zhou, K. Y.; Zhou, C. Q.; Yang, G.; Kilpatrick, C. W.; Honeycutt, R. L. (2004), "The phylogenetic position of the zokors (Myospalacinae) and comments on the families of muroids (Rodentia)", Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 31 (3): 972?978, doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.10.020, PMID 15120394.
Steppan, Scott; Adkins, Ronald; Anderson, Joel (2004), "Phylogeny and Divergence-Date Estimates of Rapid Radiations in Muroid Rodents Based on Multiple Nuclear Genes" (PDF), Systematic Biology 53 (4): 533?553, doi:10.1080/10635150490468701, PMID 15371245, http://bio.fsu.edu/~steppan/Steppan_et_al_Muroidea_2004.pdf .

Sources

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