In biological classification , a subfamily ( Latin : subfamilia , plural subfamiliae ) is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank , next below family but more inclusive than genus . Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zoological subfamily names with "-inae".
15-610: Arvicolinae Cricetinae Neotominae Sigmodontinae Tylomyinae and see below The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea . It includes true hamsters , voles , lemmings , muskrats , and New World rats and mice . At over 870 species, it is either the largest or second-largest family of mammals , and has members throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. The cricetids are small mammals, ranging from just 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in) in length and 7 g (0.25 oz) in weight in
30-522: A fossorial lifestyle. Others, such as Ondatra , Neofiber , and Arvicola , have evolved larger body sizes and are associated with an aquatic lifestyle. The phylogeny of the Arvicolinae has been studied using morphological and molecular characters. Markers for the molecular phylogeny of arvicolines included the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b ( cyb ) gene and the exon 10 of the growth hormone receptor ( ghr ) nuclear gene. The comparison of
45-552: A few major muroid radiations to reach the New World via Beringia . (The others 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 numbers. Most arvicolines are small, furry, short-tailed voles or lemmings , but some, such as Ellobius and Hyperacrius , are well adapted to
60-524: A gap, or diastema . Molar teeth may be buno-lophodont like in cricetines or lophodont like in arvicolines or some New World mice . Although a few exceptions occur, the dental formula for the great majority of cricetids is: Cricetids' populations can increase rapidly in times of plenty, due to a combination of short gestation periods between 15 and 50 days, and large litter sizes relative to many other mammals. The young are typically born blind, hairless, and helpless. The cricetids first evolved in
75-407: The New World pygmy mouse up to 41–62 cm (16–24 in) and 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) in the muskrat . The length of their tails varies greatly in relation to their bodies, and they may be either furred or sparsely haired. The fur of most species is brownish in colour, often with a white underbelly, but many other patterns exist, especially in the cricetine and arvicoline subfamilies. Like
90-601: The Old World mice , cricetids are adapted to a wide range of habitats, from the high Arctic to tropical rainforests and hot deserts . Some are arboreal, with long balancing tails and other adaptations for climbing, while others are semiaquatic , with webbed feet and small external ears . Yet others are burrowing animals, or ground-dwellers. Their diets are similarly variable, with herbivorous , omnivorous , and insectivorous species all being known. They all have large, gnawing, incisors separated from grinding molar teeth by
105-520: The crested rat (subfamily Lophiomyinae , family Muridae), zokors (subfamily Myospalacinae , family Spalacidae ), the white-tailed rat (subfamily Mystromyinae , family Nesomyidae ), and spiny dormice (subfamily Platacanthomyinae , family Platacanthomyidae ). Multigene DNA sequence studies have shown the subfamilies listed below to form a monophyletic group (that is, they share a common ancestor more recently than with any other group), and other groups now considered muroids should not be included in
120-414: The cyb and ghr phylogenetic results seems to indicate nuclear genes are useful for resolving relationships of recently evolved animals. As compared to mitochondrial genes, nuclear genes display several informative sites in third codon positions that evolve rapidly enough to accumulate synapomorphies , but slow enough to avoid evolutionary noise. Of note, mitochondrial pseudogenes translocated within
135-472: The Arvicolinae is the nature of their molar teeth, which have prismatic cusps in the shape of alternating triangles. These molars are an adaptation to a herbivorous diet in which the major food plants include a large proportion of abrasive materials such as phytoliths ; the teeth get worn down by abrasion throughout the adult life of the animal and they grow continuously in compensation. Arvicolinae are Holarctic in distribution and represent one of only
150-469: The Arvicolinae, but they have been shown to be unrelated. A 2021 study found Lemmini to be the most basal group of Arvicolinae. The study also found Arvicola to actually fall outside the tribe Arvicolini , and to be sister to the tribe Lagurini . Subfamily Arvicolinae - voles , lemmings , muskrats The subfamily Arvicolinae contains eleven tribes, eight of which are classified as voles, two as lemmings, and one as muskrats. Recent changes to
165-550: The Cricetidae. The cricetids thus currently include one fossil and five extant subfamilies , with about 112 living genera and 580 species : Arvicolinae see text The Arvicolinae are a subfamily of rodents that includes the voles , lemmings , and muskrats . They are most closely related to the other subfamilies in the Cricetidae (comprising the hamsters and New World rats and mice ). Some authorities place
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#1732855093377180-802: The Old World during the Early Oligocene . They soon adapted to a wide range of habitats, and spread throughout the world. The voles and lemmings arose later, during the Pliocene , and rapidly diversified during the Pleistocene . The circumscription of Cricetidae has gone through several permutations. Some members of the family as currently defined have been placed in the family Muridae . Some muroids have historically been placed in Cricetidae, such as mouse-like hamsters (subfamily Calomyscinae , family Calomyscidae ), gerbils (subfamily Gerbillinae , family Muridae),
195-400: The nuclear genome complicate the assessment of the mitochondrial DNA orthology , but they can also be used as phylogenetic markers. Sequencing complete mitochondrial genomes of voles may help to distinguish between authentic genes and pseudogenes. The complementary phylogenetic analysis of morphological and molecular characters suggests: Some authorities have placed the zokors within
210-870: The subfamily Arvicolinae in the family Muridae along with all other members of the superfamily Muroidea . Some refer to the subfamily as the Microtinae (yielding the adjective "microtine") or rank the taxon as a full family , the Arvicolidae . The Arvicolinae are the most populous group of Rodentia in the Northern Hemisphere. They often are found in fossil occlusions of bones cached by past predators such as owls and other birds of prey. Fossils of this group are often used for biostratigraphic dating of paleontological and archeological sites in North America and Europe. The most convenient distinguishing feature of
225-456: The subfamily include disbanding genus Myodes in favor of genera Clethrionomys and Craseomys (and disbanding Myodini in favor of Clethrionomyini ), moving most of the genera from Arvicolini to Microtini , and renaming Phenacomyini as Pliophenacomyini . Subfamilies Detarioideae is an example of a botanical subfamily. Detarioideae is a subdivision of the family Fabaceae (legumes), containing 84 genera. Stevardiinae
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