The Arvicolinae are a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classifica ...

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

s that includes the

vole Voles are small rodents that are relatives of lemmings and hamsters, but with a stouter body; a longer, hairy tail; a slightly rounder head; smaller eyes and ears; and differently formed molars (high-crowned with angular cusps instead of lo ...

lemming A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. Lemmings form the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae) together with voles and muskrats, which form part of the superfamily Muroidea, which also includ ...

s, and

muskrat The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habita ...

s. They are most closely related to the other subfamilies in the

Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice. At almost 608 species, it is the second-largest family of mammals, and h ...

(comprising the

hamster Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera.Fox, Sue. 2006. ''Hamsters''. T.F.H. Publications Inc. They have become established as popular small pets. The ...

s and New World rats and mice). Some authorities place the subfamily Arvicolinae in the family

Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. The name Muridae comes ...

along with all other members of the superfamily

Muroidea The Muroidea are a large superfamily of rodents, including mice, rats, voles, hamsters, lemmings, gerbils, and many other relatives. Although the Muroidea originated in Eurasia, they occupy a vast variety of habitats on every continent excep ...

. Some refer to the subfamily as the Microtinae (yielding the adjective "microtine") or rank the taxon as a full

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

, the Arvicolidae. The Arvicolinae are the most populous group of

Rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

ia in the Northern Hemisphere. They often are found in fossil occlusions of bones cached by past predators such as owls and other birds of prey. Fossils of this group are often used for

biostratigraphic Biostratigraphy is the branch of stratigraphy which focuses on correlating and assigning relative ages of rock strata by using the fossil assemblages contained within them.Hine, Robert. “Biostratigraphy.” ''Oxford Reference: Dictionary of Bio ...

dating of paleontological and archeological sites in North America and Europe.

Description

The most convenient distinguishing feature of the Arvicolinae is the nature of their molar teeth, which have prismatic cusps in the shape of alternating triangles. These molars are an adaptation to a

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...

diet in which the major food plants include a large proportion of abrasive materials such as

phytolith Phytoliths (from Greek, "plant stone") are rigid, microscopic structures made of silica, found in some plant tissues and persisting after the decay of the plant. These plants take up silica from the soil, whereupon it is deposited within different ...

s; the teeth get worn down by abrasion throughout the adult life of the animal and they grow continuously in compensation. Arvicolinae are

Holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical reg ...

in distribution and represent one of only a few major

muroid The Muroidea are a large superfamily of rodents, including mice, rats, voles, hamsters, lemmings, gerbils, and many other relatives. Although the Muroidea originated in Eurasia, they occupy a vast variety of habitats on every continent excep ...

radiations to reach the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

via

Beringia Beringia is defined today as the land and maritime area bounded on the west by the Lena River in Russia; on the east by the Mackenzie River in Canada; on the north by 72 degrees north latitude in the Chukchi Sea; and on the south by the tip ...

. (The others are the three subfamilies of New World rats and mice.) Arvicolines do very well in the subnival zone beneath the winter snowpack, and persist throughout winter without needing to hibernate. They are also characterized by extreme fluctuations in population numbers. Most arvicolines are small, furry, short-tailed

s or

s, but some, such as ''

Ellobius ''Ellobius'' is a genus of rodents in the family Cricetidae. It is the only member of the tribe Ellobiusini. It contains two ('' E. lutescens'' and '' E. tancrei'') of the handful of examples of mammal species that have lost the Y chromosome. T ...

'' and '' Hyperacrius'', are well adapted to a

fossorial A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees. Prehistoric evid ...

lifestyle. Others, such as ''

Ondatra The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and hab ...

'', '' Neofiber'', and ''

Arvicola The water voles are large voles in the genus ''Arvicola''. They are found in both aquatic and dry habitat through Europe and much of northern Asia. A water vole found in Western North America was historically considered a member of this genu ...

'', have evolved larger body sizes and are associated with an aquatic lifestyle.

Phylogeny

The

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological s ...

of the Arvicolinae has been studied using morphological and molecular characters. Markers for the molecular phylogeny of arvicolines included the

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...

cytochrome b (''cyb'') gene and the exon 10 of the growth hormone receptor (''ghr'') nuclear gene.Galewski T, Tilak M, Sanchez S, Chevret P, Paradis E, Douzery EJP. 2006
The evolutionary radiation of Arvicolinae rodents (voles and lemmings): relative contribution of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA phylogenies. BMC Evol. Biol. 6:80
The comparison of the ''cyb'' and ''ghr'' phylogenetic results seems to indicate nuclear genes are useful for resolving relationships of recently evolved animals. As compared to mitochondrial genes, nuclear genes display several informative sites in third

codon The genetic code is the set of rules used by living cells to translate information encoded within genetic material ( DNA or RNA sequences of nucleotide triplets, or codons) into proteins. Translation is accomplished by the ribosome, which links ...

positions that evolve rapidly enough to accumulate

synapomorphies In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to ha ...

, but slow enough to avoid evolutionary noise. Of note, mitochondrial

pseudogenes Pseudogenes are nonfunctional segments of DNA that resemble functional genes. Most arise as superfluous copies of functional genes, either directly by DNA duplication or indirectly by reverse transcription of an mRNA transcript. Pseudogenes are ...

translocated within the nuclear genome complicate the assessment of the mitochondrial DNA orthology, but they can also be used as phylogenetic markers. Sequencing complete mitochondrial genomes of voles may help to distinguish between authentic genes and pseudogenes. The complementary phylogenetic analysis of morphological and molecular characters suggests: * ''

'', '' Prometheomys'', and '' Lagurus'' are among the most basal arvicolines. * '' Dicrostonyx'', '' Phenacomys'', and '' Arborimus'' may form a clade. * Core arvicolines include three subclades: ** Lemmini: ''Synaptomys'', ''Lemmus'', ''Myopus'' ** Clethrionomyini: ''Eothenomys'', ''Myodes'' **

Arvicolini Arvicolini is a tribe of voles in the subfamily Arvicolinae. A 2021 study found that ''Arvicola'' may not belong in this group, instead being sister to the tribe Lagurini. List of species Tribe Arvicolini *Genus ''Arvicola'' - water voles ** E ...

: ''Arvicola'', ''Chionomys'', ''Stenocranius'', and ''Microtus'' * ''

Microtus ''Microtus'' is a genus of voles found in North America, Europe and northern Asia. The genus name refers to the small ears of these animals. About 62 species are placed in the genus. They are stout rodents with short ears, legs and tails. They ea ...

'' ''sensu lato'' contains ''Alexandromys'', ‘''Neodon''’, ''Mynomes'', ''Lasiopodomys'', ''Terricola'', and ''Microtus'' ''sensu stricto''. * ''

'' and '' Dinaromys'' positions are uncertain, probably compromised by the

convergent evolution Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...

of morphological characters. Some authorities have placed the

zokor Zokors are Asiatic burrowing rodents resembling mole-rats. They include two genera: '' Myospalax'' and '' Eospalax''. Zokors are native to much of China, Kazakhstan, and Siberian Russia. Traditionally, zokors were thought to be closely relate ...

s within the Arvicolinae, but they have been shown to be unrelated. A 2021 study found Lemmini to be the most basal group of Arvicolinae. The study also found ''

'' to actually fall outside the tribe

, and to be sister to the tribe Lagurini.

Classification

Subfamily Arvicolinae -

s The subfamily Arvicolinae contains eleven tribes, eight of which are classified as voles, two as lemmings, and one as muskrats. * Tribe

** Genus ''

'' - water voles *** European (or Northern) water vole, ''A. amphibius'' (''A. terrestris'') *** Southwestern (or southern) water vole, ''A. sapidus'' *** Montane water vole, ''A. scherman'' ** Genus '' Chionomys'' - snow voles *** Caucasian snow vole, ''C. gud'' *** European snow vole, ''C. nivalis'' *** Robert's snow vole, ''C. roberti'' ** Genus ''

Lasiopodomys ''Lasiopodomys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It contains the following species: * Brandt's vole Brandt's vole, (''Lasiopodomys brandtii''), also known as the steppe vole, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It i ...

'' *** Brandt's vole, ''L. brandtii'' ***

Plateau vole The plateau vole (''Lasiopodomys fuscus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in China. Its natural habitat is temperate grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). ...

, ''L. fuscus'' ***

Mandarin vole The mandarin vole (''Lasiopodomys mandarinus'') is a species of vole found in central China as well as the southern and central Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divid ...

, ''L. mandarinus'' ** Genus '' Lemmiscus'' *** Sagebrush vole, ''L. curtatus'' ** Genus ''

'' - voles ***

Insular vole The insular vole or St. Matthew Island vole (''Microtus abbreviatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It occurs only on St. Matthew Island and the adjacent Hall Island, in Alaska. On these Bering Sea islands, insular voles liv ...

, ''M. abbreviatus'' *** California vole, ''M. californicus'' ***

Rock vole The rock vole (''Microtus chrotorrhinus'') is a medium-sized vole found in eastern North America. It is also called the yellow-nosed vole. Description This species is similar in appearance to the larger taiga vole. It has short ears and a long ...

, ''M. chrotorrhinus'' *** Long-tailed vole, ''M. longicaudus'' *** Mexican vole, ''M. mexicanus'' *** Singing vole, ''M. miurus'' *** North American water vole, ''M. richardsoni'' *** Zempoaltépec vole, ''M. umbrosus'' *** Taiga vole, ''M. xanthognathus'' *** Subgenus ''Microtus'' **** Field vole, ''M. agrestis'' ****

Anatolian vole The Anatolian vole (''Microtus anatolicus'') is a species of vole found in Turkey, specifically Konya Province. The population is unknown but it lives in small colonies. The species exists in an area that is a remnant zone of Tethys Ocean, and th ...

, ''M. anatolicus'' **** Common vole, ''M. arvalis'' **** Cabrera's vole, ''M. cabrerae'' ****

Doğramaci's vole Doğramaci's vole (''Microtus dogramacii'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in central Turkey, and is similar to the social vole, although different in terms of cranial proportions and karyotype A karyotype i ...

, ''M. dogramacii'' ****

Elbeyli vole Elbeyli, formerly Alimantar, is a town and district of Kilis Province in Turkey. Elbeyli was controlled by the Seljuk Turks between 1040 and 1157, then the Ilkhanate, and finally by the Anatolian beylik of Dulkadirids before being brought into ...

, ''M. elbeyli'' ****

Günther's vole Günther's vole (''Microtus guentheri'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae, also known by the name Levant vole. It is found in Bulgaria, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, North Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Syria, Tur ...

, ''M. guentheri'' **** Harting's vole, ''M. hartingii'' ****

Tien Shan vole The Tien Shan vole (''Microtus ilaeus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ...

, ''M. ilaeus'' ****

Persian vole The Persian vole (''Microtus irani'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is only found in Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is b ...

, ''M. irani'' ****

Mediterranean field vole The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

, ''M. lavernedii'' ****

Turkish vole Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

, ''M. lydius'' ****

Kerman vole Kerman ( fa, كرمان, Kermân ; also romanized as Kermun and Karmana), known in ancient times as the satrapy of Carmania, is the capital city of Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 821,394, in 221,389 households, ...

, ''M. kermanensis'' **** Southern vole, ''M. levis'' ****

Paradox vole The paradox vole ('Microtus paradoxus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae found in southern Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by ...

, ''M. paradoxus'' **** Qazvin vole, ''M. qazvinensis'' **** Portuguese field vole, ''M. rosianus'' **** Schidlovsky's vole, ''M. schidlovskii'' **** Social vole, ''M. socialis'' **** European pine vole, ''M. subterraneus'' **** Transcaspian vole, ''M. transcaspicus'' *** Subgenus '' Blanfordimys'' ****

Afghan vole The Afghan vole (''Microtus afghanus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in south-central Asia. Characteristics The Afghan vole has a small, stocky body, a blunt, rounded muzzle and rounded ears. The colour varies a ...

, ''M. afghanus'' ****

Bucharian vole The Bucharian vole (''Microtus bucharicus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Its natural habitat is temperate desert A desert is a barren area of lands ...

, ''M. bucharicus'' ****

Juniper vole The juniper vole (''Microtus juldaschi'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and Tajikistan. It was formerly classified in the genus '' Neodon'', but genetic evidence indicates that it is ...

, ''M. juldaschi'' ***Subgenus '' Terricola'' **** Bavarian pine vole, ''M. bavaricus'' **** Calabria pine vole, ''M. brachycercus'' ****

Daghestan pine vole The Daghestan pine vole (''Microtus daghestanicus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also ...

, ''M. daghestanicus'' **** Mediterranean pine vole, ''M. duodecimcostatus'' ****

Felten's vole Felten's vole (''Microtus felteni'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Albania, Greece, North Macedonia, and Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landloc ...

, ''M. felteni'' **** Liechtenstein's pine vole, ''M. liechtensteini'' ****

Lusitanian pine vole The Lusitanian pine vole (''Microtus lusitanicus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is endemic to the northwestern half of the Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberic ...

, ''M. lusitanicus'' **** Major's pine vole, ''M. majori'' ****

Alpine pine vole The alpine pine vole (''Microtus multiplex'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Austria, France, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegowina (Una National ParkSicilian pine vole, ''M. nebrodensis'' ****

Savi's pine vole Savi's pine vole (''Microtus savii'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rat ...

, ''M. savii'' **** Tatra pine vole, ''M. tatricus'' ****

Thomas's pine vole Thomas's pine vole (''Microtus thomasi'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and possibly Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also ...

, ''M. thomasi'' *** Subgenus '' Mynomes'' ****

Gray-tailed vole The gray-tailed vole (''Microtus canicaudus'') also known as the gray-tailed meadow vole or gray-tailed meadow mouse, is a rodent in the genus ''Microtus'' (small-eared "meadow voles") of the family Cricetidae. Voles are small mammals, and this ...

, ''M. canicaudus'' ****

Western meadow vole The western meadow vole (''Microtus drummondii'') is a species of North American vole found in midwestern and western Canada and the United States, and formerly in Mexico. It was formerly considered conspecific with the eastern meadow vole (''M. ...

, ''M. drummondi'' ****

Florida salt marsh vole The Florida salt marsh vole (''Microtus dukecampbelli'') is a North American vole endemic to the state of Florida in the United States. Taxonomy It was formerly thought conspecific with the eastern meadow vole (''M. pennsylvanicus''), but more ...

, ''M. dukecampbelli'' **** Montane vole, ''M. montanus'' **** Creeping vole, ''M. oregoni'' **** Eastern meadow vole, ''M. pennsylvanicus'' **** Townsend's vole, ''M. townsendii'' *** Subgenus '' Alexandromys'' **** Clarke's vole, ''M. clarkei'' **** Evorsk vole, ''M. evoronensis'' ****

Reed vole The reed vole (''Alexandromys fortis'') is a species of vole. It is found in northern and central Eurasia, including northern China and the Korean Peninsula. This species is somewhat larger and longer-tailed than most other voles. Description ...

, ''M. fortis'' ****

Gerbe's vole Gerbe's vole (''Microtus gerbii'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats a ...

, ''M. gerbei'' ****

Taiwan vole The Taiwan vole (''Microtus kikuchii'', now ''Alexandromys kikuchii'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae, It is an endemic species of Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a Country, country in East Asia, ...

, ''M. kikuchii'' ****

Lacustrine vole The lacustrine vole (''Microtus limnophilus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in China and Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; literal translation, lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a ...

, ''M. limnophilus'' ****

Maximowicz's vole Maximowicz's vole (''Microtus maximowiczii'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in northeastern China, Mongolia, and eastern Russia. Description Maximowicz's vole is one of the largest voles in the genus ''Microtus''. ...

, ''M. maximowiczii'' **** Middendorf's vole, ''M. middendorffi'' ****

Mongolian vole The Mongolian vole (''Microtus mongolicus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in China, Mongolia, and Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe an ...

, ''M. mongolicus'' ****

Japanese grass vole The Japanese grass vole (''Microtus montebelli'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the ...

, ''M. montebelli'' **** Muisk vole, ''Microtus mujanensis'' ****

Tundra vole The tundra vole (''Microtus oeconomus'') or root vole is a medium-sized vole found in Northern and Central Europe, Asia, and northwestern North America, including Alaska and northwestern Canada. In the western part of the Netherlands, the tundra ...

(root vole), ''M. oeconomus'' **** Sakhalin vole, ''M. sachalinensis'' *** Subgenus '' Stenocranius'' **** Narrow-headed vole, ''M. gregalis'' *** Subgenus ''

Pitymys Pitymys is a subgenus of voles in the genus Microtus. Species in this subgenus are: *Guatemalan vole (''Microtus guatemalensis'') * Tarabundí vole (''Microtus oaxacensis'') *Woodland vole The woodland vole (''Microtus pinetorum'') is a small ...

'' **** Guatemalan vole, ''M. guatemalensis'' ****

Tarabundí vole The Tarabundí vole (''Microtus oaxacensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America ...

, ''M. oaxacensis'' ****

Woodland vole The woodland vole (''Microtus pinetorum'') is a small vole found in eastern North America. It is also known as the pine vole. Characteristics The woodland vole has a head and body length ranging between with a short tail. Its weight ranges bet ...

, ''M. pinetorum'' ****

Jalapan pine vole The Jalapan pine vole (''Microtus quasiater'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae, found only in Mexico. The scientific name ''quasiater'' translates as "almost black", while the common name refers to the city of Jalapa, close to wh ...

, ''M. quasiater'' *** Subgenus ''

Pedomys The prairie vole (''Microtus ochrogaster'') is a small vole found in central North America. The vole has long, coarse grayish-brown fur on the upper portion of the body and yellowish fur on the lower portion of the body. It has short ears and a ...

'' ****

Prairie vole The prairie vole (''Microtus ochrogaster'') is a small vole found in central North America. The vole has long, coarse grayish-brown fur on the upper portion of the body and yellowish fur on the lower portion of the body. It has short ears and a ...

, ''M. ochrogaster'' *** Subgenus '' Hyrcanicola'' **** Schelkovnikov's pine vole, ''M. schelkovnikovi'' ** Genus ''

Neodon ''Neodon'' is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae. Species within ''Neodon'' are classified as relics of the Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the '' Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,58 ...

'' - mountain voles ***

Chinese scrub vole The Chinese scrub vole, or Irene's mountain vole, (''Neodon irene'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is endemic to mountainous parts of southern China and is very similar to the Sikkim mountain vole in appearance. The Interna ...

, ''N. irene'' *** Sikkim mountain vole, ''N. sikimensis'' *** Forrest's mountain vole, ''N. forresti'' *** Linzhi mountain vole, ''N. linzhiensis'' ** Genus '' Phaiomys'' ***

Blyth's vole Blyth's vole (''Phaiomys leucurus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Phaiomys''. It is found in mountainous regions in northern India, Nepal and China. It is a burrowing rodent and lives in ...

, ''P. leucurus'' ** Genus '' Proedromys'' ***

Duke of Bedford's vole The Duke of Bedford's vole (''Proedromys bedfordi'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in mountainous parts of central China. It is a rare species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assesse ...

, ''P. bedfordi'' ***

Liangshan vole The Liangshan vole (''Proedromys liangshanensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and ...

, ''P. liangshanensis'' ** Genus ''

Volemys ''Volemys'' is a small genus of rodents in the family Cricetidae. It contains the following species, both of which are endemic to China: * Szechuan vole (''Volemys millicens'') * Marie's vole Marie's vole (''Volemys musseri'') is a species of ...

'' ***

Szechuan vole The Szechuan vole (''Volemys millicens'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in northwestern Sichuan, China. It is one of two species in the genus ''Volemys'' along with Marie's vole (''Volemys musseri''). Range ...

, ''V. millicens'' ***

Marie's vole Marie's vole (''Volemys musseri'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in China. ''Volemys musseri'' is one of two species in the genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological clas ...

, ''V. musseri'' * Tribe Dicrostonychini - collared lemmings ** Genus '' Dicrostonyx'' *** Northern collared lemming, ''D. groenlandicus'' *** Nelson's collared lemming, ''D. nelsoni'' *** Ungava collared lemming, ''D. hudsonius'' *** Ogilvie Mountains collared lemming, ''D. nunatakensis'' *** Richardson's collared lemming, ''D. richardsoni'' *** Arctic lemming, ''D. torquatus'' *** Unalaska collared lemming, ''D. unalascensis'' * Tribe Ellobiusini - mole voles ** Genus ''

'' - mole voles ***

Alai mole vole The Alai mole vole (''Ellobius alaicus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is known only from Kyrgyzstan, where it has been found in temperate grassland in the Alai Mountains. Little else is known about the vole. It is threate ...

, ''E. alaicus'' ***

Southern mole vole The southern mole vole (''Ellobius fuscocapillus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan. Chromosomes Southern mole voles are the only member of ''Ellobius ''Ellobius'' ...

, ''E. fuscocapillus'' ***

Transcaucasian mole vole The Transcaucasian mole vole (''Ellobius lutescens'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Turkey. Chromosomes The karyotype has a low, odd, diploid number, 2n = 17,X. Transca ...

, ''E. lutescens'' ***

Northern mole vole The northern mole vole (''Ellobius talpinus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is distributed over large parts of Eastern Europe and Asia. Distribution This vole is found in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan an ...

, ''E. talpinus'' ***

Zaisan mole vole The Zaisan mole vole (''Ellobius tancrei''), or eastern mole vole, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in central Asia. Description The Zaisan mole vole is highly adapted to life underground. It grows to a head and body ...

, ''E. tancrei'' * Tribe Lagurini ** Genus ''

Eolagurus ''Eolagurus'' is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It contains the following species: * Yellow steppe lemming The yellow steppe lemming (''Eolagurus luteus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in China, Ka ...

'' ***

Yellow steppe lemming The yellow steppe lemming (''Eolagurus luteus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. Its natural habitat is temperate desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little ...

, ''E. luteus'' ***

Przewalski's steppe lemming Przewalski's steppe lemming (''Eolagurus przewalskii'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in China and Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; literal translation, lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" ...

, ''E. przewalskii'' ** Genus '' Lagurus'' *** Steppe lemming, ''L. lagurus'' * Tribe Lemmini ** Genus '' Lemmus'' - true lemmings ***

Amur lemming The Amur lemming (''Lemmus amurensis'') is a species of lemmings found near the Amur River in Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of ...

, ''L. amurensis'' *** Norway lemming, ''L. lemmus'' ***

Beringian lemming The Beringian lemming or Beringian brown lemming (''Lemmus nigripes'') is a species of lemming found in Russia and North America. Taxonomy It was formerly considered conspecific with the Canadian lemming (''L. trimucronatus'') with both speci ...

, ''L. nigripes'' ***

East Siberian lemming The East Siberian lemming, Eastern Siberian brown lemming, or Ognev's lemming (''Lemmus paulus'') is a species of lemming endemic to Russia, where it has a disjunct distribution throughout parts of Siberia east of the Verkhoyansk Range. Taxonom ...

, ''L. paulus'' ***

West Siberian lemming The West Siberian lemming or Western Siberian brown lemming (''Lemmus sibiricus'') is a true lemming species found in the Russian Federation. Like other lemmings, it belongs to the Cricetidae family of rodents. It is endemic to Russia, where i ...

, ''L. sibiricus'' *** Canadian lemming, ''L. trimucronatus'' ** Genus ''

Myopus The wood lemming (''Myopus schisticolor'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It belongs to the rodent subfamily Arvicolinae, so is a relative of the voles, lemmings, and muskrats. It is found in the taiga biome of China, Estonia, ...

'' *** Wood lemming, ''M. schisticolor'' ** Genus '' Synaptomys'' - bog lemmings *** Northern bog lemming, ''S. borealis'' *** Southern bog lemming, ''S. cooperi'' * Tribe Myodini ** Genus ''

Alticola ''Alticola'' is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae. Species *Subgenus ''Alticola'' ** White-tailed mountain vole (''Alticola albicauda'') ** Silver mountain vole (''Alticola argentatus'') ** Gobi Altai mountain vole (''Alticola ba ...

'' - voles from

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...

*** Subgenus ''Alticola'' ****

White-tailed mountain vole The white-tailed mountain vole (''Alticola albicauda'') is a species of vole in the family Cricetidae. It is found in India and Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in ...

, ''A. albicauda'' ****

Silver mountain vole The silver mountain vole (''Alticola argentatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. They are distinguished by their silver-grey pelage, long vibrissae, rootless hypsodont molars and angular skull shape. Like many mammals of the Eu ...

, ''A. argentatus'' **** Gobi Altai mountain vole, ''A. barakshin'' **** Central Kashmir vole, ''A. montosa'' **** Royle's mountain vole, ''A. roylei'' **** Mongolian silver vole, ''A. semicanus'' ****

Stolička's mountain vole Stolička's or Stoliczka's mountain vole (''Alticola stoliczkanus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in China, Pakistan, India and Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Repub ...

, ''A. stoliczkanus'' ****

Tuva silver vole The Tuva silver vole (''Alticola tuvinicus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Mongolia and Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Euro ...

, ''A. tuvinicus'' *** Subgenus ''Aschizomys'' ****

Lemming vole The lemming vole (''Alticola lemminus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in the Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Nor ...

, ''A. lemminus'' ****

Large-eared vole The large-eared vole (''Alticola macrotis'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Mongolia and the Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Eu ...

, ''A. macrotis'' ****

Lake Baikal mountain vole The Lake Baikal mountain vole or Olkhon mountain vole (''Alticola olchonensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found principally on the Olkhon and Ogoi islands on Lake Baikal, in southern Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, � ...

, ''A. olchonensis'' *** Subgenus ''Platycranius'' **** Flat-headed vole, A. strelzowi'' ** Genus '' Caryomys'' *** Ganzu vole, ''C. eva'' ***

Kolan vole The Kolan vole, Inez's red-backed vole or Inez's vole (''Caryomys inez'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in China. Two subspecies have been recognized, ''Caryomys inez inez'' from the northern part of its range ...

, ''C. inez'' ** Genus ''

Eothenomys ''Eothenomys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It contains the following species: * Kachin red-backed vole (''Eothenomys cachinus'') * Pratt's vole (''Eothenomys chinensis'') * Southwest China vole (''Eothenomys custos'') * Père D ...

'' - voles from

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...

***

Kachin red-backed vole The Kachin red-backed vole (''Eothenomys cachinus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Kachin State in northern Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA convention ...

, ''E. cachinus'' *** Pratt's vole, ''E. chinensis'' *** Southwest China vole, ''E. custos'' *** Père David's vole, ''E. melanogaster'' *** Yunnan red-backed vole, ''E. miletus'' *** Chaotung vole, ''E. olitor'' *** Yulungshan vole, ''E. proditor'' *** Ward's red-backed vole, ''E. wardi'' ** Genus '' Hyperacrius'' - voles from Pakistan *** True's vole, ''H. fertilis'' *** Murree vole, ''H. wynnei'' ** Genus ''Myodes'' - red-backed voles *** Anderson's red-backed vole, ''M. andersoni'' *** Western red-backed vole, ''M. californicus'' *** Tien Shan red-backed vole, ''M. centralis'' *** Southern red-backed vole, ''M. gapperi'' *** Bank vole, ''M. glareolus'' *** Imaizumi's red-backed vole, ''M. imaizumii'' *** Korean red-backed vole, ''M. regulus'' *** Hokkaido red-backed vole, ''M. rex'' *** Grey red-backed vole, ''M. rufocanus'' *** Northern red-backed vole, ''M. rutilus'' *** Shansei vole, ''M. shanseius'' *** Smith's vole, ''M. smithii'' * Tribe Ondatrini - muskrats ** Genus '' Neofiber'' *** Round-tailed muskrat, ''N. alleni'' **Genus ''

'' *** Muskrat, ''O. zibethicus'' * Tribe Phenacomyini **Genus '' Arborimus'' - tree voles *** White-footed vole, ''A. albipes'' *** Red tree vole, ''A. longicaudus'' *** Sonoma tree vole or California red tree mouse, ''A. pomo'' ** Genus '' Phenacomys'' - heather voles *** Western heather vole, ''P. intermedius'' *** Eastern heather vole, ''P. ungava'' *Tribe Pliomyini ** Genus '' Dinaromys'' *** Balkan snow vole, ''D. bogdanovi'' * Tribe Prometheomyini ** Genus '' Prometheomys'' *** Long-clawed mole vole, ''P. schaposchnikowi''

Fossil species

* Tribe

** Genus ''Mimomys'' † * Tribe Dicrostonychini - collared lemmings ** Genus ''Predicrostonyx'' † *** Predicrostonyx, Hopkins's lemming, ''Predicrostonyx hopkinsi'' † * Tribe Clethrionomyini ** Genus ''Altaiomys'' † ** Genus ''Pitymimomys'' † ** Genus ''Borsodia'' † ** Genus ''Allophaiomys'' † ** Genus ''Prolagurus'' †

References

External links