Arvicolinae is a subfamily of mammals in the rodent family Cricetidae, which in turn is part of the Myomorpha suborder in the order Rodentia. Members of this subfamily are called arvicolines and include voles, lemmings, and muskrats. They are found in North America, Europe, and Asia, primarily in forests, shrublands, grasslands, and wetlands, though some species can be found in deserts and rocky areas. They range in size from the woodland vole, at plus a tail, to the muskrat, at plus a tail. Arvicolines generally eat grass, leaves, twigs, bulbs, tubers, seeds, nuts, and other vegetation, though some also eat fungi and invertebrates. Almost no arvicolines have population estimates, but three species—the Lake Baikal mountain vole, Tarabundí vole, and Zempoaltépec vole—are categorized as endangered.
The 158 extant species of Arvicolinae are divided into 30 genera, with over a third of species, 57, in the Microtus genus. Several extinct prehistoric arvicoline species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries, the exact number and categorization are not fixed.
Conventions
The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the arvicoline's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.
Classification Arvicolinae is a subfamily of the rodent family Cricetidae consisting of 158 extant species in 30 genera. These genera range in size from 1 to 57 species. This does not include hybrid species or extinct prehistoric species.
Subfamily Arvicolinae Genus Alexandromys (grass voles): eleven species Genus Alticola (high mountain voles): twelve species Genus Arborimus (tree voles): three species Genus Arvicola (water voles): three species Genus Caryomys (brownish voles): two species Genus Chionomys (snow voles): eleven species Genus Clethrionomys (bank voles): five species Genus Craseomys (grey-sided voles): six species Genus Dicrostonyx (collared lemmings): eight species Genus Dinaromys (Balkan snow vole): one species Genus Ellobius (mole voles): five species Genus Eolagurus (steppe lemmings): two species Genus Eothenomys (Père David's voles): eight species Genus Hyperacrius (Kashmir voles): two species Genus Lagurus (steppe lemming): one species Genus Lasiopodomys (narrow-headed steppe voles): two species Genus Lemmiscus (sagebrush vole): one species
Genus Lemmus (lemmings): five species Genus Microtus (meadow voles): 57 species Genus Myopus (wood lemming): one species Genus Neodon (mountain voles): six species Genus Neofiber (round-tailed muskrat): one species Genus Ondatra (muskrat): one species Genus Phaiomys (Blyth's vole): one species Genus Phenacomys (heather voles): two species Genus Proedromys (Duke of Bedford's voles): two species Genus Prometheomys (long-clawed mole vole): one species Genus Stenocranius (narrow-headed voles): two species Genus Synaptomys (bog lemmings): two species Genus Volemys (Szechuan voles): two species
Arvicolines The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.
References Wilson; Reeder, pp. 956–1038
Nowak, p. 1460 Nowak, p. 1462 Nowak, p. 1463 Nowak, p. 1464 Nowak, p. 1465 Nowak, p. 1466 Nowak, p. 1467 Nowak, p. 1469 Nowak, p. 1473 Nowak, p. 1475 Nowak, p. 1476 Nowak, p. 1477 Nowak, p. 1479 Nowak, p. 1480 Nowak, p. 1481 Nowak, p. 1482 Nowak, p. 1483 Nowak, p. 1485
Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 221 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, pp. 222–223 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, pp. 224–225 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, pp. 226–227 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, pp. 228–229 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, pp. 230–231 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, pp. 232–233 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 234
Sources