Arvicolinae

Arvicolines Temporal range: Late Miocene - Recent
Meadow vole
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Superfamily:	Muroidea
Family:	Cricetidae
Subfamily:	Arvicolinae Gray, 1821
Genera
see text

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 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

Skull of a Bank Vole. Note the distinctive molar pattern characteristic of arvicolines.

• Subfamily Arvicolinae - voles, lemmings, muskrats
  • Tribe Arvicolini
    • Genus Arvicola - water voles
    • Genus Blanfordimys
    • Genus Chionomys
    • Genus Lasiopodomys
    • Genus Lemmiscus - sagebrush vole
    • Genus Microtus - voles
    • Genus Neodon
    • Genus Phaiomys
    • Genus Proedromys - Duke of Bedford's vole
    • Genus Volemys
  • Tribe Dicrostonychini - collared lemmings
    • Genus Dicrostonyx - collared lemmings
  • 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

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.

• 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.