Murinae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. This subfamily is larger than all mammal families except the Cricetidae, and is larger than all mammal orders except the bats and the remainder of the rodents.
Contents |
[edit] Description
The Murinae are native to Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. They are the only terrestrial placental mammals native to Australia. They have also been introduced to all continents except Antarctica, and are serious pest animals. This is particularly true in island communities where they have contributed to the endangerment and extinction of many native animals.
Two prominent murine human commensals have become vital laboratory animals. The Brown Rat and House Mouse are both used as medical subjects and are among a handful of animals where the full genome has been sequenced.
The murines have a distinctive molar pattern that involves three rows of cusps instead of two, the primitive pattern seen most frequently in muroid rodents.
[edit] Fossils
The first known appearance of the Murinae in the fossil record is about 14 million years ago with the fossil genus Antemus. Antemus is thought to derive directly from Potwarmus, which has a more primitive tooth pattern. Likewise, two genera, Progonomys and Karnimata are thought to derive directly from Antemus. Progonomys is thought to be the ancestor of Mus and relatives, while Karnimata is thought to lead to Rattus and relatives. All of these fossils are found in the well-preserved and easily dated Siwalik fossil beds of Pakistan. The transition from Potwarmus to Antemus to Progonomys and Karnimata is considered an excellent example of anagenic evolution.
[edit] Taxonomy
Most of the Murinae have been poorly studied. Some genera have been grouped, such as the hydromyine water rats, conilurine or pseudomyine Australian mice, or the phloeomyine Southeast Asian forms. No tribal level taxonomy has been attempted for the complete subfamily. It appears as if genera from southeast Asian islands and Australia may be early offshoots compared to mainland forms. The vlei rats in the genera Otomys and Parotomys are often placed in a separate subfamily, Otomyinae, but have been shown to be closely related to African murines in spite of their uniqueness.
Three genera, Uranomys, Lophuromys, and Acomys were once considered to be murines, but were found to be more closely related to gerbils through molecular phylogenetics. They have been assigned a new subfamily status, Deomyinae.
[edit] List of Genera
As of 2005, the Murinae contain 129 genera in 584 species. Musser and Carleton (2005) divided the Murinae into 29 genus divisions. They treated the Otomyinae as a separate subfamily, but all molecular analyses conducted to date have supported their inclusion in the Murinae as relatives of African genera (Michaux et al., 2001; Jansa and Weksler, 2004; Steppan et al., 2004; 2005; Jansa et al., 2006).
Subfamily Murinae - Old World rats and mice
- Aethomys Division
- Genus Aethomys - bush rats
- Genus Micaleamys
- Apodemus Division
- Arvicanthis Division
- Genus Arvicanthis - unstriped grass mice
- Genus Desmomys
- Genus Lemniscomys - striped grass mice
- Genus Mylomys - African Groove-toothed Rat
- Genus Pelomys - groove-toothed creek rats
- Genus Rhabdomys - Four-striped Grass Mouse
- Chrotomys Division
- Genus Apomys
- Genus Archboldomys - Mount Isarog shrew rats
- Genus Chrotomys - Luzon striped rats
- Genus Rhynchomys - shrewlike rats
- Colomys Division
- Genus Colomys - African Water Rat
- Genus Nilopegamys
- Genus Zelotomys - stink mice
- Crunomys Division
- Genus Crunomys - Philippine and Sulawesian shrew rats
- Genus Sommeromys
- Dacnomys Division
- Genus Anonymomys - Mindoro Rat
- Genus Chiromyscus - Fea's Tree Rat
- Genus Dacnomys - Large-toothed Giant Rat
- Genus Leopoldamys - long-tailed giant rats
- Genus Niviventer - white-bellied rats
- Genus Saxatilomys
- Genus Srilankamys - Ceylonese rats
- Dasymys Division
- Genus Dasymys - Shaggy Swamp Rat
- Echiothrix Division
- Genus Echiothrix - Sulawesian Spiny Rat
- Golunda Division
- Genus Golunda - Indian Bush Rat
- Hadromys Division
- Genus Hadromys - Manipur Bush Rat
- Hybomys Division
- Hydromys Division
- Genus Crossomys - Earless Water Rat
- Genus Hydromys - water rats
- Genus Microhydromys
- Genus Parahydromys - Mountain Water Rat
- Genus Paraleptomys
- Lorentzimys Division
- Genus Lorentzimys - New Guinea jumping mouse
- Malacomys Division
- Genus Malacomys - big-eared swamp rats
- Maxomys Division
- Genus Maxomys - rajah rats
- Melasmothrix Division
- Genus Melasmothrix - Lesser Sulawesian Shrew Rat
- Genus Tateomys - greater Sulawesian shrew rats
- Micromys Division
- Genus Chiropodomys - pencil-tailed tree mice
- Genus Haeromys - pygmy tree mice
- Genus Hapalomys - marmoset rats
- Genus Micromys - Old World Harvest Mouse
- Genus Vandeleuria - long-tailed climbing mice
- Genus Vernaya - Vernay's Climbing Mouse
- Millardia Division
- Mus Division
- Oenomys Division
- Genus Canariomys - Giant Canary Islands Rat
- Genus Grammomys
- Genus Lamottemys
- Genus Malpaisomys - Canarian Lava Fields Mouse
- Genus Oenomys - rufous-nosed rats
- Genus Thallomys - acacia rats
- Genus Thamnomys - thicket rats
- Phloeomys Division
- Genus Batomys - Luzon and Mindanao forest rats
- Genus Carpomys - Luzon rats
- Genus Crateromys - cloudrunners
- Genus Phloeomys - slender-tailed cloud rats
- Pithecheir Division
- Genus Eropeplus - Sulawesian Soft-furred Rat
- Genus Lenomys - Trefoil-toothed Rat
- Genus Lenothrix - Grey Tree Rat
- Genus Margaretamys - Margareta's rats
- Genus Pithecheir - monkey-footed rats
- Genus Pithecheirops
- Pogonomys Division
- Genus Abeomelomys
- Genus Anisomys - Powerful-toothed Rat
- Genus Chiruromys
- Genus Coccymys
- Genus Coryphomys
- Genus Hyomys - white-eared rats
- Genus Macruromys - New Guinean rats
- Genus Mallomys - giant tree rats
- Genus Mammelomys
- Genus Pogonomelomys - Rummler's mosaic tailed rats
- Genus Pogonomys - prehensile-tailed rats
- Genus Spelaeomys
- Genus Xenuromys - White-tailed New Guinea Rat
- Pseudomys Division
- Genus Conilurus - rabbit rats
- Genus Leggadina
- Genus Leporillus - Australian stick-nest rats
- Genus Mastacomys
- Genus Mesembriomys - tree rats
- Genus Notomys - Australian hopping mice
- Genus Pseudomys - Australian native mice
- Genus Zyzomys - thick-tailed rats
- Rattus Division
- Genus Abditomys
- Genus Bandicota - bandicoot rats
- Genus Berylmys - white-toothed rats
- Genus Bullimus
- Genus Bunomys
- Genus Diplothrix
- Genus Kadarsanomys
- Genus Komodomys
- Genus Limnomys
- Genus Nesokia - Short-tailed Bandicoot Rat
- Genus Nesoromys
- Genus Palawanomys - Palawan Rat
- Genus Papagomys - Flores giant rats
- Genus Paruromys - Sulawesian giant rat
- Genus Paulamys
- Genus Rattus - typical rats
- Genus Sundamys - giant Sunda rats
- Genus Taeromys
- Genus Tarsomys
- Genus Tryphomys - Mearn's Luzon Rat
- Stenocephalomys Division
- Genus Heimyscus
- Genus Hylomyscus - African wood mice
- Genus Mastomys - multimammate rats
- Genus Myomyscus - multimammate rats
- Genus Praomys - African soft-furred rats
- Genus Stenocephalemys - Ethiopian narrow-headed rats
- Uromys Division
- Genus Melomys - banana rats
- Genus Paramelomys
- Genus Protochromys
- Genus Solomys - naked-tailed rats
- Genus Uromys - giant naked-tailed rats
- Xeromys Division
- Genus Leptomys
- Genus Pseudohydromys - New Guinea false water rats
- Genus Xeromys - False Water Rat
- Otomyines
[edit] References
- Chevret, P., C. Denys, J.-J. Jaeger, J. Michaux, and F.M. Catzeflis. 1993. Molecular evidence that the spiny mouse (Acomys) is more closely related to gerbils (Gerbillinae) than to the true mice (Murinae). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 90:3433-3436.
- Jacobs, L.L. 1978. Fossil rodents (Rhizomyidae and Muridae) from Neogene Siwalik deposits, Pakistan. Bulletin of the Museum of Northern Arizona, 52: 1-103.
- Jansa, S., F. K. Barker, and L. R. Heaney. 2006. The pattern and timing of diversification of Philippene endemic rodents: evidence from mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences. Systematic Biology, 55:73-88.
- 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.
- McKenna, M.C. and S. K. Bell. 1997. Classification of Mammals above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York.
- 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.
- Musser, G. G. and L. R. Heaney. 2006. Philippine rodents: Definitions of Tarsomys and Limnomys plus a preliminary assessment of phylogenetic patterns among native Philippine murines (Murinae, Muridae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 211:1–138.
- Nowak, R.M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, Vol. 2. Johns Hopkins University Press, London.
- 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.
- Steppan, S. J., R. M. Adkins, P. Q. Spinks, and C. Hale. 2005. Multigene phylogeny of the Old World mice, Murinae, reveals distinct geographic lineages and the declining utility of mitochondrial genes compared to nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 37:370-388.
