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Murinae
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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 - bush ratsGenus MicaleamysApodemus DivisionApodemus - old world field miceGenus RhagamysGenus Tokudaia - Ryukyu spiny ratsArvicanthis DivisionArvicanthis - unstriped grass miceGenus DesmomysGenus Lemniscomys - striped grass miceGenus Mylomys - African Groove-toothed RatGenus Pelomys - groove-toothed creek ratsGenus Rhabdomys - Four-striped Grass MouseChrotomys DivisionApomysGenus Archboldomys - Mount Isarog shrew ratsGenus Chrotomys - Luzon striped ratsGenus Rhynchomys - shrewlike ratsColomys DivisionColomys - African Water RatGenus NilopegamysGenus Zelotomys - stink miceCrunomys DivisionCrunomys - Philippine and Sulawesian shrew ratsGenus SommeromysDacnomys DivisionAnonymomys - Mindoro RatGenus Chiromyscus - Fea's Tree RatGenus Dacnomys - Large-toothed Giant RatGenus Leopoldamys - long-tailed giant ratsGenus Niviventer - white-bellied ratsGenus SaxatilomysGenus Srilankamys - Ceylonese ratsDasymys DivisionDasymys - Shaggy Swamp RatEchiothrix DivisionEchiothrix - Sulawesian Spiny RatGolunda DivisionGolunda - Indian Bush RatHadromys DivisionHadromys - Manipur Bush RatHybomys DivisionDephomys - defua ratsGenus Hybomys - hump-nosed miceGenus Stochomys - Target RatHydromys DivisionCrossomys - Earless Water RatGenus Hydromys - water ratsGenus MicrohydromysGenus Parahydromys - Mountain Water RatGenus ParaleptomysLorentzimys DivisionLorentzimys - New Guinea jumping mouseMalacomys DivisionMalacomys - big-eared swamp ratsMaxomys DivisionMaxomys - rajah ratsMelasmothrix DivisionMelasmothrix - Lesser Sulawesian Shrew RatGenus Tateomys - greater Sulawesian shrew ratsMicromys DivisionChiropodomys - pencil-tailed tree miceGenus Haeromys - pygmy tree miceGenus Hapalomys - marmoset ratsGenus Micromys - Old World Harvest MouseGenus Vandeleuria - long-tailed climbing miceGenus Vernaya - Vernay's Climbing MouseMillardia DivisionCremnomysGenus Diomys - Manipur MouseGenus MadromysGenus Millardia - Asian soft-furred ratsMus DivisionMuriculus - Stripe-backed MouseGenus Mus - typical miceOenomys DivisionCanariomys - Giant Canary Islands RatGenus GrammomysGenus LamottemysGenus Malpaisomys - Canarian Lava Fields MouseGenus Oenomys - rufous-nosed ratsGenus Thallomys - acacia ratsGenus Thamnomys - thicket ratsPhloeomys DivisionBatomys - Luzon and Mindanao forest ratsGenus Carpomys - Luzon ratsGenus Crateromys - cloudrunnersGenus Phloeomys - slender-tailed cloud ratsPithecheir DivisionEropeplus - Sulawesian Soft-furred RatGenus Lenomys - Trefoil-toothed RatGenus Lenothrix - Grey Tree RatGenus Margaretamys - Margareta's ratsGenus Pithecheir - monkey-footed ratsGenus PithecheiropsPogonomys DivisionAbeomelomysGenus Anisomys - Powerful-toothed RatGenus ChiruromysGenus CoccymysGenus CoryphomysGenus Hyomys - white-eared ratsGenus Macruromys - New Guinean ratsGenus Mallomys - giant tree ratsGenus MammelomysGenus Pogonomelomys - Rummler's mosaic tailed ratsGenus Pogonomys - prehensile-tailed ratsGenus SpelaeomysGenus Xenuromys - White-tailed New Guinea RatPseudomys DivisionConilurus - rabbit ratsGenus LeggadinaGenus Leporillus - Australian stick-nest ratsGenus MastacomysGenus Mesembriomys - tree ratsGenus Notomys - Australian hopping miceGenus Pseudomys - Australian native miceGenus Zyzomys - thick-tailed ratsRattus DivisionAbditomysGenus Bandicota - bandicoot ratsGenus Berylmys - white-toothed ratsGenus BullimusGenus BunomysGenus DiplothrixGenus KadarsanomysGenus KomodomysGenus LimnomysGenus Nesokia - Short-tailed Bandicoot RatGenus NesoromysGenus Palawanomys - Palawan RatGenus Papagomys - Flores giant ratsGenus Paruromys - Sulawesian giant ratGenus PaulamysGenus Rattus - typical ratsGenus Sundamys - giant Sunda ratsGenus TaeromysGenus TarsomysGenus Tryphomys - Mearn's Luzon RatStenocephalomys DivisionHeimyscusGenus Hylomyscus - African wood miceGenus Mastomys - multimammate ratsGenus Myomyscus - multimammate ratsGenus Praomys - African soft-furred ratsGenus Stenocephalemys - Ethiopian narrow-headed ratsUromys DivisionMelomys - banana ratsGenus ParamelomysGenus ProtochromysGenus Solomys - naked-tailed ratsGenus Uromys - giant naked-tailed ratsXeromys DivisionLeptomysGenus Pseudohydromys - New Guinea false water ratsGenus Xeromys - False Water RatOtomyinesMyotomysGenus Otomys - groove-toothed or vlei ratsGenus Parotomys - whistling rats
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