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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 (comprising the hamsters and New World rats and mice〔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.〕). Some authorities place the subfamily Arvicolinae in the family Muridae along with all other members of the superfamily Muroidea.〔Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. Pp. 894-1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.〕 Some refer to the subfamily as the Microtinae or rank the taxon as a full family, the Arvicolidae.〔McKenna, M. C. and S. K. Bell. 1997. Classification of Mammals above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York. 〕 The Arvicolinae are the most populous group of Rodentia 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 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 diet in which the major food plants include a large proportion of abrasive materials such as phytoliths; the teeth get worn down by abrasion throughout the adult life of the animal and they grow continuously in compensation.〔Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006.; "The Diversity of Cheek Teeth" ; The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed November 26, 2011 at http://animaldiversity.org.〕 Arvicolinae are Holarctic in distribution and represent one of only a few major muroid radiations to reach the New World via Beringia. (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 size. Most arvicolines are small, furry, short-tailed voles or lemmings, but some, such as ''Ellobius'' and ''Hyperacrius'', are well adapted to a fossorial lifestyle. Others, such as ''Ondatra'', ''Neofiber'', and ''Arvicola'', have evolved larger body sizes and are associated with an aquatic lifestyle. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Arvicolinae」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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