Cricetidae

Cricetidae is a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice. At almost 600 species, it is the second largest family of mammals

The term Cricetidae has gone through several permutations, and members of the family as currently defined are often placed in the family Muridae along with all other muroid subfamilies. Many other muroids have been called members of the Cricetidae in the past such as mouse-like hamsters (subfamily Calomyscinae, family Calomyscidae), gerbils (subfamily Gerbillinae, family Muridae), the crested rat (subfamily Lophiomyinae, family Muridae), zokors (subfamily Myospalacinae, family Spalacidae), the white-tailed rat (subfamily Mystromyinae, family Nesomyidae), and spiny dormice (subfamily Platacanthomyinae, family Platacanthomyidae). Genetic studies have shown that the subfamilies listed below are related (form a monophyletic group), and that these other animals should not be included in the Cricetidae.

The Cricetids are classified in 5 subfamilies, around 112 genera and approximately 580 species.

Subfamilies

• Arvicolinae (voles, lemmings, muskrat)
• Cricetinae (hamsters)
• Neotominae (North American rats and mice, including deer mice, pack rats, and grasshopper mice)
• Sigmodontinae (New World rats and mice, predominantly South American genera such as brucies.)
• Tylomyinae (New World climbing rats and relatives)

References

• 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.

• 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.

• Norris, R. W., K. Y. Zhou, C. Q. Zhou, G. Yang, C. W. Kilpatrick, and R. L. Honeycutt. 2004. The phylogenetic position of the zokors (Myospalacinae) and comments on the families of muroids (Rodentia). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 31:972–978.

• 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.