The
suborder
Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...
Myomorpha contains 1,524 species of mouse-like
rodents,
nearly a quarter of all
mammal
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
species. Included are
mice
A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...
,
rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' ( pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...
s,
gerbils,
hamsters,
lemmings, and
voles. They are grouped according to the structure of their jaws and
molar teeth. They are characterized by their
myomorphous zygomasseteric system, which means that both their medial and lateral
masseter muscles are displaced forward, making them adept at gnawing. As in the
hystricognathous rodents, the medial masseter muscle goes through the eye socket, a feature unique among mammals. Myomorphs are found worldwide (apart from Antarctica) in almost all land habitats. They are usually
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
seed-eaters.
Most myomorph species belong to the superfamily
Muroidea: (
hamsters,
voles,
lemmings,
true mice,
true rats, and
gerbils).
*Superfamily
Muroidea
**Family
Platacanthomyidae (
spiny dormice and
Chinese pygmy dormice)
**Family
Spalacidae (
blind mole-rats and
bamboo rats)
**Family
Calomyscidae (
mouse-like hamsters)
**Family
Nesomyidae (
Malagasy mice and rats and
African climbing mice
Mice in the genus ''Dendromus'' are commonly referred to as African climbing mice or tree mice, although these terms are often used to describe all members of the subfamily Dendromurinae. The genus is currently restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, ...
)
**Family
Cricetidae (
true hamsters,
voles and
lemmings)
**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 come ...
(
true rats,
true mice and
gerbils)
*Superfamily
Dipodoidea
**Family
Dipodidae (
jerboas)
**Family
Sminthidae (
birch mice
Birch mice (genus ''Sicista'') are small jumping rodents that resemble mice with long, tufted tails and very long hind legs, allowing for remarkable leaps. They are the only extant members of the family Sminthidae. They are native to Eurasian for ...
)
**Family
Zapodidae (
jumping mice
Zapodidae, the jumping mice, is a family of mouse-like rodents in North America and China.
Although mouse-like in general appearance, these rodents are distinguished by their elongated hind limbs, and, typically, by the presence of four pairs o ...
)
Historically, the definition of the suborder Myomorpha has included one or both of:
*Superfamily
Geomyoidea (
gophers and
kangaroo rats)
**Family
Heteromyidae (kangaroo rats)
**Family
Geomyidae (gophers)
*Superfamily
Gliroidea (true dormice)
**Family
Gliridae
References
*Carleton, M. D. and G. G. Musser. 2005. Order Rodentia. Pp745–752 in Mammal Species of the World A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds.). Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press.
*Clutton-Brock, Juliet (ed.). 2004. Mouse-like Rodents. Pp150–159 in Animal (David Burnley ed.). London, Dorling Kindersley.
Rodent taxonomy
Mammal suborders
Extant Eocene first appearances
Taxa named by Johann Friedrich von Brandt
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