Overview
Brief Summary
Rats, Mice, Hamsters, Voles, Lemmings, and Gerbils
There long has been controversy regarding which groups are included in this family and how these groups are interrelated. The Muridae here are considered to comprise the 16 subfamilies listed below. However, many authorities have followed Simpson (1945) in giving familial status to the Sigmodontinae (with the name Cricetidae), the Spalacinae, the Platacanthomyinae, the Rhizomyinae, and the Murinae. Based in part on paleontological evidence, Chaline, Mein, and Petter (1977) went even further and recognized the following as separate families: the Sigmodontinae (with the name Cricetidae and including the Cricetinae, the Spalacinae, the Myospalacinae, the Lophiomyinae, and the Platacanthomyinae as subfamilies), the Nesomyinae (including the Otomyinae as a subfamily), the Rhizomyinae, the Gerbillinae, the Arvicolinae, the Dendromuridae (including the Petromyscinae as a subfamily), the Cricetomyinae, and the Murinae (including the Hydromyinae as a subfamily).
The actual sequence used by Chaline, Mein, and Petter (1977) generally has been followed here. However, all of the families have been made parts of a single family, which in accordance with nomenclatural priority is called the Muridae. Although Simpson (1945) separated the Muridae and the Cricetidae, many authorities have considered the differences between the two insufficient to warrant familial distinction. The latter position was taken by Hershkovitz (1962) and E. R. Hall (1981) and is followed here. Once the Cricetidae are made part of the Muridae, it becomes reasonable to do the same with the other families listed by Chaline, Mein, and Petter (1977). This procedure was followed by Carleton and Musser (1984), Corbet and Hill (1991), and Musser and Carleton (in Wilson and Reeder 1993), though with some modification of sequence. Also, Carleton and Musser (1984) and Musser and Carleton (in Wilson and Reeder 1993) considered the subfamily Hydromyinae to be part of the Murinae, whereas Lidicker and Brylski (1987) included the Australian genera Mesembriomys, Conilurus, Leporillus, Zyzomys, Pseudomys, Notomys, Leggadina, and Mastacomys in the Hydromyinae. Corbet and Hill (1991) placed the subfamily Petromyscinae within the Dendromurinae. There remains considerable support for keeping the Rhizomyidae as a separate family (Lekagul and McNeely 1977; Medway 1978).
© The John Hopkins University Press
Supplier: CJ Kronk
Unreviewed
Ecology
Associations
Known predators
Lynx rufus
Based on studies in:
USA: Florida, South Florida (Swamp)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
© SPIRE project
Source:
SPIRE
Trusted
Known prey organisms
Tracheobionta
Larus californicus
Based on studies in:
USA: Florida, South Florida (Swamp)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
© SPIRE project
Source:
SPIRE
Trusted
Associations
Animal / parasite / ectoparasite / blood sucker
adult of Cimex lectularius sucks the blood of Muridae
© BioImages
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Evolution and Systematics
Functional Adaptations
Functional adaptation
The viscoelastic heart valves of mice gain stiffness from melanin pigments.
"Pigmentation of murine cardiac tricuspid valve leaflet is associated with melanocyte concentration, which affects its stiffness…The mechanical properties along the leaflet vary with the degree of pigmentation. Pigmented regions of the valve leaflet that contain melanocytes displayed higher storage modulus (7-10 GPa) than non-pigmented areas (2.5-4 GPa). These results suggest that the presence of melanocytes affects the viscoelastic properties of the mouse atrioventricular valves and are important for their proper functioning in the organism…The cardiac valves display complex biomechanical properties that allow them to function in directed blood flow during the cardiac cycle…The mature atrioventricular (AV) valves (mitral and tricuspid) have leaflets composed of extracellular matrix (ECM), valvular interstitial cells and overlying endothelial cells. The mechanical requirements of the valve for elasticity, compressibility, stiffness and strength, as well as durability throughout the lifespan of an individual are achieved primarily by the highly organized and compartmentalized ECM composition of the leaflets…" (Balani et al. 2009:1097)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Balani K; Brito FC; Kos L; Agarwal A. 2009. Melanocyte pigmentation stiffens murine cardiac tricuspid valve leaflet. J R Soc Interface. 6(40): 1097-1102.
© The Biomimicry Institute
Source:
AskNature
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Molecular Biology and Genetics
Barcode
Locations of barcode samples
© Barcode of Life Data Systems
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Statistics of barcoding coverage
| Specimen Records: | 2,578 |
| Specimens with Sequences: | 2,867 |
| Specimens with Barcodes: | 1,870 |
| Public Records: | 214 |
| Species: | 199 |
| Species With Barcodes: | 170 |
© Barcode of Life Data Systems
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Barcode data
© Barcode of Life Data Systems
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Wikipedia
Muridae
 | This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2012) |
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.
The family name Muridae is sometimes used in a broader sense to include all members of the superfamily Muroidea. The name comes from the Latin mus (genitive muris), meaning "mouse".
Contents |
Characteristics
The murids are small mammals, typically around 10 cm (3.9 in) long excluding the tail, but ranging from 4.5 to 8 cm (1.8 to 3.1 in) in the African Pygmy Mouse to 48 cm (19 in) in Cuming's Slender-tailed Cloud Rat. They typically have a slender body with a scaled tail, and pointed snouts with prominent whiskers. However, within these broad traits, there is a wide degree of variation. Many murids have elongated legs and feet allowing them to move with a hopping motion, while others have broad feet and prehensile tails to improve their climbing ability, and yet others have neither adaptation. They are most commonly some shade of brown in colour, although many have black, grey, or white markings.[1]
Murids generally have excellent senses of hearing and smell. They live in a wide range of habitats from forest to grassland, and mountain ranges. A number of species, especially the gerbils, are adapted to arid desert conditions, and can survive for a long time with minimal water. They are either herbivores or omnivores, eating a wide range of foods in different species, with the aid of powerful jaw muscles and gnawing incisors that grow throughout life. The dental formula of murids is 
.
Murids breed frequently, often producing large litters several times per year. They typically give birth between 20 and 40 days after mating, although this varies greatly between species. The young are typically born blind, hairless, and helpless, although there are exceptions, such as the spiny mice.[1]
Evolution
As with many other small mammals, the evolution of the murids is not well known, as few fossils survive. They probably evolved from hamster-like animals in tropical Asia some time in the early Miocene, and to have only subsequently produced species capable of surviving in cooler climes. They have become especially common worldwide during the Holocene, as a result of hitching a ride with human migrations.[2]
Classification
The Murids are classified in 5 subfamilies, around 150 genera and approximately 710 species.[citation needed]
Subfamilies
- Deomyinae (spiny mice, brush furred mice, link rat)
- Gerbillinae (gerbils, jirds and sand rats)
- Leimacomyinae (Togo Mouse)
- Lophiomyinae (Crested Rat)
- Murinae (Old World rats and mice including the vlei rats)
References
- ^ a b Berry, R. J. & Årgren, G. (1984), Macdonald, D., ed., The Encyclopedia of Mammals, New York: Facts on File, pp. 658–663 & 674–677, ISBN 0-87196-871-1
- ^ Savage, R. J. G. & Long, M. R. (1986), Mammal Evolution: an Illustrated Guide, New York: Facts on File, p. 124, ISBN 0-8160-1194-X
- Jansa, Sharon. A.; Weksler, Marcelo (2004), "Phylogeny of muroid rodents: relationships within and among major lineages as determined by IRBP gene sequences", 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, François (1 November 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
- Steppan, Scott; Adkins, Ronald; Anderson, Joel (2004), "Phylogeny and divergence-date estimates of rapid radiations in muroid rodents based on multiple nuclear genes", Systematic Biology 53 (4): 533–553, doi:10.1080/10635150490468701, PMID 15371245, http://bio.fsu.edu/~steppan/Steppan_et_al_Muroidea_2004.pdf
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Wikipedia
Unreviewed
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