Muroidea

Muroidea is a large superfamily of rodents. It includes hamsters, gerbils, true mice and rats, and many other relatives. They live on almost every continent except Antarctica. Some scientists have placed all members of this group into a single family, Muridae. Sometimes there are difficulties in knowing how the subfamilies are related to one another.

Muroids
Temporal range: Middle Eocene - Recent
Feldmaus Microtus arvalis.jpg
Microtus arvalis
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Rodentia
Suborder: Myomorpha
Superfamily: Muroidea
Illiger, 1811
Families

Platacanthomyidae
Spalacidae
Calomyscidae
Nesomyidae
Cricetidae
Muridae

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

Taxonomy

References

  • Primary Taxonomic Reference
    • 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.
  • Other Taxonomic References
    • Jansa, S. A. and M. Weksler. Phylogeny of muroid rodents: relationships within and among major lineages as determined by IRBP gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 31:256-276.
    • Michaux, J., A. Reyes, and F. Catzeflis. 2001. Evolutionary history of the most speciose mammals: molecular phylogeny of muroid rodents. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 17:280-293.
    • 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.
    • Norris, R. W., K. Y. Zhou, C. Q. Zhou, G. Yang, C. W. Kilpatrick, and R. L. Honeycutt. 2004. The phylogenetic position of the zokors (Myospalacinae) and comments on the families of muroids (Rodentia). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 31:972-978.