Family Cricetidae

REVIEWED BY: J. H. Honacki (JH).

COMMENT: Assignment of this family, separate from the Muridae and Arvicolidae, follows Chaline and Mein, 1979, and Reig, 1980, J. Zool. Lond., 192:257-281. For review of the taxonomic treatments of this family see Swanepoel et al., 1980, Ann. Transvaal Mus., 32(7): 155-196, Arata, 1967, in Anderson and Jones, pp. 226-232, and Carleton, 1980:1-146. Inclusion of the Dendromurinae, Cricetomyinae, Gerbillinae, Nesomyinae, Petromyscinae, and Otomyinae in Cricetidae follows Misonne, 1974, Part 6:9; Chaline and Mein, 1979, considered these taxa as distinct families except Otomyinae, which they placed in Nesomyidae, and Petromyscinae, which they placed in Dendromuridae; they also included Myospalacinae (as is done here) and Spalacinae (here considered a separate family) in Cricetidae. Arata, 1967, in Anderson and Jones, pp. 241-242, included Dendromurinae and Otomyinae in Muridae, subfamily Murinae. Reig, 1980, J. Zool. Lond., 192:258-260, recognized, as families, Gerbillidae, Lophiomyidae, and Myospalacidae (here included in Cricetidae, as subfamilies, as in Corbet, 1978:93), and Nesomyinae, Dendromurinae, Cricetomyinae, Petromyscinae, Cricetinae, Neotominae, Sigmodontinae, and Platacanthomyinae, as subfamilies of Cricetidae. Carleton, 1980, considered recognition of two separate subfamilies (Sigmodontinae and Neotominae or Peromyscinae) of New World cricetines premature; thus, the subfamily Hesperomyinae is used here (see Reig, 1980, for a discussion of the validity of the name). Chaline et al., 1977, Mammalia, 41:245-252, and Chaline and Mein, 1979, incorporated recent fossil evidence in their classification; their recognition of the major phyletic units of Muroid rodents as families (see above) “may anticipate a future trend" (Carleton, 1980:2-7). The treatment adopted here is not completely consistent with either Chaline and Mein, 1979, or Reig, 1980 (R.S. Hoffmann, JH).

ISIS NUMBER: 5301410008000000000 as Cricetidae.

5301410013000000000 as Platacanthomyidae.