The Arvicolinae are a subfamily of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), 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 roden ...

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 incl ...

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, a ...

(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 The New World rats and mice are a group of related rodents found in North and South America. They are extremely diverse in appearance and ecology, ranging in from the tiny '' Baiomys'' to the large '' Kunsia''. They represent one of the few exam ...

). 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 com ...

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 except A ...

. 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 (biology), 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 roden ...

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 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 mouthpart ...

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 regi ...

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 except A ...

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

.) Arvicolines do very well in the subnival zone beneath the winter snowpack, and persist throughout winter without needing to

hibernate Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ...

. 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. ...

'' 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 e ...

lifestyle. Others, such as '' Ondatra'', '' 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 spe ...

of the Arvicolinae has been studied using morphological and molecular characters. Markers for the molecular phylogeny of arvicolines included the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b (''cyb'') gene and the exon 10 of the

growth hormone receptor Growth hormone receptor is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''GHR'' gene. GHR orthologs have been identified in most mammals. Structure Growth hormone receptor (GHR) is a transmembrane protein consisting of 620 amino acids. The rece ...

(''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 gene A nuclear gene is a gene whose physical DNA nucleotide sequence is located in the cell nucleus of a eukaryote. The term is used to distinguish nuclear genes from genes found in mitochondria or chloroplasts. The vast majority of genes in eukaryot ...

s 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 hav ...

, 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 Lemmini is a tribe of lemmings in the subfamily Arvicolinae. Species in this tribe are: Tribe Lemmini * Genus ''Lemmus'' - true lemmings ** Amur lemming (''L. amurensis'') ** Norway lemming (''L. lemmus'') ** Beringian lemming (''L. nigripes ...

: ''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 ** ...

: ''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 e ...

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

Dinaromys The Balkan snow vole (''Dinaromys bogdanovi''), also known as Martino's snow vole, is the only member of the genus ''Dinaromys''. Eight subspecies of this vole have been recognized from southern parts of Europe. The genus name means "Dinaric mo ...

'' 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 related ...

s within the Arvicolinae, but they have been shown to be unrelated. A 2021 study found

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 Lagurini is a tribe of lemmings in the subfamily Arvicolinae. It contains three species in two genera. Species in this tribe are known as steppe lemmings. It contains the following species: * Genus '' Eolagurus'' ** Yellow steppe lemming, ''E ...

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 Robert's snow vole (''Chionomys roberti'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Russian Federation, and Turkey. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and temperate grassland. Refe ...

, ''C. roberti'' ** Genus '' Lasiopodomys'' ***

Brandt's vole Brandt's vole, (''Lasiopodomys brandtii''), also known as the steppe vole, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is native to shrublands and grasslands in Russia, Mongolia and northern China. Characteristics Brandt's vole is about ...

, ''L. brandtii'' *** Plateau vole, ''L. fuscus'' *** Mandarin vole, ''L. mandarinus'' ** Genus ''

Lemmiscus The sagebrush vole (''Lemmiscus curtatus'') is a tiny vole found in western North America. This is the only member of genus ''Lemmiscus''. They are somewhat similar in appearance to lemmings. They have chunky bodies with short legs and a very s ...

'' ***

Sagebrush vole The sagebrush vole (''Lemmiscus curtatus'') is a tiny vole found in western North America. This is the only member of genus ''Lemmiscus''. They are somewhat similar in appearance to lemmings. They have chunky bodies with short legs and a very s ...

, ''L. curtatus'' ** Genus ''

'' - voles *** Insular vole, ''M. abbreviatus'' ***

California vole The California vole (''Microtus californicus'') is a type of vole which lives throughout much of California and part of southwestern Oregon. It is also known as the "California meadow mouse", a misnomer as this species is a vole, not a mouse. It a ...

, ''M. californicus'' *** Rock vole, ''M. chrotorrhinus'' *** Long-tailed vole, ''M. longicaudus'' *** Mexican vole, ''M. mexicanus'' *** Singing vole, ''M. miurus'' ***

North American water vole The water vole (''Microtus richardsoni'') is the largest North American vole. It is found in the northwestern United States and southern parts of western Canada. This animal has been historically considered a member of genus ''Arvicola'', but mo ...

, ''M. richardsoni'' *** Zempoaltépec vole, ''M. umbrosus'' *** Taiga vole, ''M. xanthognathus'' *** Subgenus ''Microtus'' **** Field vole, ''M. agrestis'' **** Anatolian vole, ''M. anatolicus'' **** Common vole, ''M. arvalis'' **** Cabrera's vole, ''M. cabrerae'' **** Doğramaci's vole, ''M. dogramacii'' **** Elbeyli vole, ''M. elbeyli'' **** Günther's vole, ''M. guentheri'' **** Harting's vole, ''M. hartingii'' **** Tien Shan vole, ''M. ilaeus'' **** Persian vole, ''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 eas ...

, ''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 ...

, ''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, mak ...

, ''M. kermanensis'' **** Southern vole, ''M. levis'' **** Paradox vole, ''M. paradoxus'' **** Qazvin vole, ''M. qazvinensis'' **** Portuguese field vole, ''M. rosianus'' **** Schidlovsky's vole, ''M. schidlovskii'' **** Social vole, ''M. socialis'' ****

European pine vole The European pine vole (''Microtus subterraneus''), also known as the common pine vole, 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 hams ...

, ''M. subterraneus'' **** Transcaspian vole, ''M. transcaspicus'' *** Subgenus ''

Blanfordimys ''Blanfordimys'' is a subgenus of voles in the family ''Microtus''. It was formerly considered a distinct genus, but taxonomic studies group it within the ''Microtus'' radiation. It contains the following species: * Afghan vole (''Microtus afgha ...

'' ****

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 ac ...

, ''M. afghanus'' **** Bucharian vole, ''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 c ...

, ''M. juldaschi'' ***Subgenus ''

Terricola Geoplanidae is a family of flatworms known commonly as land planarians or land flatworms. These flatworms are mainly predators of other invertebrates, which they hunt, attack and capture using physical force and the adhesive and digestive proper ...

'' ****

Bavarian pine vole The Bavarian pine vole (''Microtus bavaricus'') is a vole from the Austrian, Italian, and Bavarian Alps of Europe. It lives in moist meadows at elevations of 600 to 1,000 meters. Conservation There are 23 museum specimens of this species; it wa ...

, ''M. bavaricus'' **** Calabria pine vole, ''M. brachycercus'' **** Daghestan pine vole, ''M. daghestanicus'' ****

Mediterranean pine vole The Mediterranean pine vole (''Microtus duodecimcostatus'') is a species 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 ...

, ''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 language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian lang ...

, ''M. felteni'' ****

Liechtenstein's pine vole Liechtenstein's pine vole (''Microtus liechtensteini'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in central and eastern Europe, from northern Italy through to Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. References *D.E. Wilson & D.M ...

, ''M. liechtensteini'' **** Lusitanian pine vole, ''M. lusitanicus'' ****

Major's pine vole Major's pine vole (''Microtus majori'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae found in Caucasus region and its vicinities (Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, ...

, ''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 Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B ...

, ''M. multiplex'' **** Sicilian pine vole, ''M. nebrodensis'' **** Savi's pine vole, ''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. References *Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carl ...

, ''M. thomasi'' *** Subgenus '' Mynomes'' **** Gray-tailed vole, ''M. canicaudus'' **** Western meadow vole, ''M. drummondi'' **** Florida salt marsh vole, ''M. dukecampbelli'' **** Montane vole, ''M. montanus'' ****

Creeping vole The creeping vole (''Microtus oregoni''), sometimes known as the Oregon meadow mouse, is a small rodent in the family Cricetidae. Ranging across the Pacific Northwest of North America, it is found in forests, grasslands, woodlands, and chaparral ...

, ''M. oregoni'' **** Eastern meadow vole, ''M. pennsylvanicus'' **** Townsend's vole, ''M. townsendii'' *** Subgenus ''

Alexandromys ''Alexandromys'' is a genus of voles in the subfamily Arvicolinae, formerly a subgenus of the genus ''Microtus''. Species in this genus are: *Alpine vole (''Alexandromys alpinus'') * Evorsk vole (''Alexandromys evoronensis'') * Reed vole (''Alex ...

'' ****

Clarke's vole Clarke's vole ('Microtus clarkei'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, wi ...

, ''M. clarkei'' ****

Evorsk vole The Evorsk vole (''Microtus evoronensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. I ...

, ''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, ''M. gerbei'' **** Taiwan vole, ''M. kikuchii'' **** Lacustrine vole, ''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 '' Microt ...

, ''M. maximowiczii'' ****

Middendorf's vole Middendorf's vole (''Microtus middendorffi'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in Russia, most commonly north Siberia. The common name commemorates Alexander Theodor von Middendorff (1815–1894), a German–Rus ...

, ''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 ...

, ''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'' **** Guatemalan vole, ''M. guatemalensis'' **** Tarabundí vole, ''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, ''M. quasiater'' *** Subgenus '' Pedomys'' ****

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 Schelkovnikov's pine vole (''Microtus schelkovnikovi'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Azerbaijan and Iran. It has recently been considered the sole species in the subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgen ...

, ''M. schelkovnikovi'' ** Genus ''

Neodon ''Neodon'' is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae. Species within ''Neodon'' are classified as relics of the Pleistocene epoch because the occlusal patterns resemble the extinct '' Allophaiomys''. The genus ''Neodon'' contains the follow ...

'' - 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 Intern ...

, ''N. irene'' *** Sikkim mountain vole, ''N. sikimensis'' ***

Forrest's mountain vole Forrest's mountain vole (''Neodon forresti'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae found within China in northwest Yunnan. The initial study by Hinton in 1923 identified it as morphologically close to the Chinese scrub vole (''N. i ...

, ''N. forresti'' ***

Linzhi mountain vole The Linzhi mountain vole (''Neodon linzhiensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, coun ...

, ''N. linzhiensis'' ** Genus ''

Phaiomys 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 ...

'' ***

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 ''Proedromys'' is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae from China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billio ...

'' ***

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, muskrat ...

, ''P. liangshanensis'' ** Genus '' Volemys'' *** Szechuan vole, ''V. millicens'' *** Marie's vole, ''V. musseri'' * Tribe

Dicrostonychini Dicrostonychini is a tribe of lemmings in the subfamily Arvicolinae The Arvicolinae are a subfamily of rodents that includes the voles, lemmings, and muskrats. They are most closely related to the other subfamilies in the Cricetidae (com ...

- collared lemmings ** Genus '' Dicrostonyx'' ***

Northern collared lemming The northern collared lemming or Nearctic collared lemming (''Dicrostonyx groenlandicus''), sometimes called the Peary Land collared lemming in Canada, is a small lemming found in Arctic North America and Wrangel Island. At one time, it was cons ...

, ''D. groenlandicus'' ***

Nelson's collared lemming Nelson's collared lemming (Dicrostonyx nelsoni) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in western and southwestern Alaska in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the Uni ...

, ''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'' demonst ...

, ''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. Transcau ...

, ''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 bod ...

, ''E. tancrei'' * Tribe

** Genus '' Eolagurus'' *** Yellow steppe lemming, ''E. luteus'' *** Przewalski's steppe lemming, ''E. przewalskii'' ** Genus '' Lagurus'' ***

Steppe lemming The steppe lemming or steppe vole (''Lagurus lagurus'') is a small, plump, light-grey rodent, similar in appearance to the Norway lemming (''Lemmus lemmus''), but not in the same genus. The steppe lemming eats shoots and leaves and is more act ...

, ''L. lagurus'' * Tribe

** Genus '' Lemmus'' - true lemmings *** Amur lemming, ''L. amurensis'' ***

Norway lemming The Norway lemming, also known as the Norwegian lemming (''Lemmus lemmus'') is a common species of lemming found in northern Fennoscandia, where it is the only vertebrate species endemic to the region. The Norway lemming dwells in tundra and fell ...

, ''L. lemmus'' *** Beringian lemming, ''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, ''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, F ...

'' ***

Wood lemming 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, F ...

, ''M. schisticolor'' ** Genus '' Synaptomys'' - bog lemmings ***

Northern bog lemming The northern bog lemming (''Synaptomys borealis'') is a small North American lemming. It is one of two species in the genus ''Synaptomys'', the other being the southern bog lemming. Description They have cylindrical bodies covered with long gr ...

, ''S. borealis'' *** Southern bog lemming, ''S. cooperi'' * Tribe

Myodini The Myodini are a tribe of forest voles in the subfamily Arvicolinae. Species in this tribe are: *Tribe Myodini **Genus '' Alticola'' - voles from Central Asia ***Subgenus ''Alticola'' **** White-tailed mountain vole, ''A. albicauda'' **** Silve ...

** 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 former ...

*** 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 ...

, ''A. argentatus'' **** Gobi Altai mountain vole, ''A. barakshin'' ****

Central Kashmir vole The central Kashmir vole (''Alticola montosa'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in India and Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in ...

, ''A. montosa'' **** Royle's mountain vole, ''A. roylei'' **** Mongolian silver vole, ''A. semicanus'' **** Stolička's mountain vole, ''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 Eur ...

, ''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 No ...

, ''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 E ...

, ''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, С ...

, ''A. olchonensis'' *** Subgenus ''Platycranius'' ****

Flat-headed vole The flat-headed vole (''Alticola strelzowi'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental co ...

, A. strelzowi'' ** Genus '' Caryomys'' *** Ganzu vole, ''C. eva'' *** Kolan vole, ''C. inez'' ** Genus '' Eothenomys'' - 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 conventio ...

, ''E. cachinus'' ***

Pratt's vole Pratt's vole (''Eothenomys chinensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is endemic to Mount Emei, Sichuan, China. It was named in 1891 for Antwerp Edgar Pratt Antwerp Edgar Pratt FRGS (6 March 1852 - 4 January 1924) was a Vic ...

, ''E. chinensis'' *** Southwest China vole, ''E. custos'' ***

Père David's vole Père David's vole (''Eothenomys melanogaster'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in China, Myanmar, Taiwan, and Thailand. This species is a member of the ''melanogaster'' group, one of the two main groups of ''Eotheno ...

, ''E. melanogaster'' ***

Yunnan red-backed vole The Yunnan red-backed vole (''Eothenomys miletus'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Southwest China, specifically Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of C ...

, ''E. miletus'' ***

Chaotung vole The Chaotung vole (''Eothenomys olitor'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou, China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is ...

, ''E. olitor'' *** Yulungshan vole, ''E. proditor'' *** Ward's red-backed vole, ''E. wardi'' ** Genus '' Hyperacrius'' - voles from

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

*** True's vole, ''H. fertilis'' *** Murree vole, ''H. wynnei'' ** Genus '' Myodes'' - red-backed voles ***

Anderson's red-backed vole The Japanese red-backed vole, Wakayama red-backed vole, or Anderson's red-backed vole (''Craseomys andersoni'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only on the island of Honshu in Japan. It was first described by the Bri ...

, ''M. andersoni'' ***

Western red-backed vole The western red-backed vole (''Myodes californicus'') is a species of vole in the family Cricetidae. It is found in California and Oregon in the United States and lives mainly in coniferous forest. The body color is chestnut brown, or brown mixed ...

, ''M. californicus'' *** Tien Shan red-backed vole, ''M. centralis'' ***

Southern red-backed vole The southern red-backed vole or Gapper's red-backed vole (''Myodes gapperi'') is a small slender vole found in Canada and the northern United States. It is closely related to the western red-backed vole (''Myodes californius''), which lives to t ...

, ''M. gapperi'' ***

Bank vole The bank vole (''Myodes glareolus'') is a small vole with red-brown fur and some grey patches, with a tail about half as long as its body. A rodent, it lives in woodland areas and is around in length. The bank vole is found in much of Europe an ...

, ''M. glareolus'' ***

Imaizumi's red-backed vole Imaizumi's red-backed vole (''Myodes imaizumii'') is a species of vole in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Japan and was initially designated as a subspecies of the Japanese red-backed vole The Japanese red-backed vole, Wakayama red-ba ...

, ''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 The Shansei vole (''Myodes shanseius'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in north-central China where its habitat is forests. Taxonomy The Shansei vole was first described in 1908 as ''Myodes shanseius'' by the ...

, ''M. shanseius'' *** Smith's vole, ''M. smithii'' * Tribe

Ondatrini Ondatrini is a tribe of semiaquatic rodents in the family Arvicolinae. They are known as muskrats. They are related to voles and lemmings. Classification It contains two extant species, each in their own genus, both of which are native to Nor ...

- muskrats ** Genus '' Neofiber'' *** Round-tailed muskrat, ''N. alleni'' **Genus '' Ondatra'' ***

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 ...

, ''O. zibethicus'' * Tribe

Phenacomyini Phenacomyini is a tribe of voles in the subfamily Arvicolinae. It contains five species in two genera, all of which are found in North America. Species in this tribe are: * Genus '' Arborimus'' - tree voles ** White-footed vole, ''A. albipes'' ...

**Genus '' Arborimus'' - tree voles ***

White-footed vole The white-footed vole (''Arborimus albipes'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in the United States. Its natural habitat is temperate forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of def ...

, ''A. albipes'' ***

Red tree vole The red tree vole (''Arborimus longicaudus'') is a rodent of the Pacific Northwest, found in the US states of Oregon and California. They were formerly known as ''Phenacomys longicaudus'' and have also been called the red tree mouse. Descriptio ...

, ''A. longicaudus'' ***

Sonoma tree vole The Sonoma tree vole or California red tree mouse (''Arborimus pomo'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. ''In'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic R ...

or California red tree mouse, ''A. pomo'' ** Genus '' Phenacomys'' - heather voles ***

Western heather vole The western heather vole (''Phenacomys intermedius'') is a small vole found in western North America. Until recently, the eastern heather vole, (''Phenacomys ungava''), was considered to be a subspecies. They have short ears with stiff orange ha ...

, ''P. intermedius'' ***

Eastern heather vole The eastern heather vole, (''Phenacomys ungava''), is a small North American vole. Until recently, this species was considered to belong to the same species as the western heather vole, ''Phenacomys intermedius''. It is also called the Ungava vol ...

, ''P. ungava'' *Tribe

Pliomyini The Balkan snow vole (''Dinaromys bogdanovi''), also known as Martino's snow vole, is the only member of the genus ''Dinaromys''. Eight subspecies of this vole have been recognized from southern parts of Europe. The genus name means "Dinaric mo ...

** Genus ''

'' *** Balkan snow vole, ''D. bogdanovi'' * Tribe

Prometheomyini The long-clawed mole vole (''Prometheomys schaposchnikowi'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Prometheomys''. It is found in Georgia and Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially th ...

** Genus '' Prometheomys'' *** Long-clawed mole vole, ''P. schaposchnikowi''

Fossil species

* Tribe

** Genus ''

Mimomys ''Mimomys'' is an extinct genus of voles that lived in Eurasia and North America during the Plio-Pleistocene. It is believed that one of the many species belonging to this genus gave rise to the modern water voles ''(Arvicola)''. Several other pre ...

'' † * Tribe

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

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q840750 Mammal subfamilies Taxa named by John Edward Gray

Description

Phylogeny

Classification

Fossil species

See also

References

External links