Family Muridae Illiger, 1815 . Abhandl. K. Akad. Wiss., Berlin for 1804-11, p. 46,129.

COMMENTS: The scope of the Family Muridae employed herein is practically equivalent to the Superfamily Muroidea as classically arranged by Miller and Gidley (1918), Simpson (1945), and others (see Carleton, 1980; Carleton and Musser, 1984; and Hooper and Musser, 1964a; for reviews of muroid classification). The chapter's organization generally follows that of Carleton and Musser (1984), which serves as a convenient framework to discuss the generic-and specific-level diversity of muroids and their attendant taxonomic problems and uncertainties. It is not a higher-order classification of the family or superfamily. Family-group synonyms are listed under the various subfamilies.

We have sought to present the 1326 species and 281 genera recognized within the dialogue of the original descriptive and primary revisionary literature, especially where differences of opinion exist over a taxon's rank and validity, rather than secondary and tertiary sources. In many instances, we have gone back to examine collections and type material in order to gain a better grasp of a taxonomic issue or to illuminate distributions; the holdings of the American Museum of Natural History, British Museum of Natural History, Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, National Museum of Natural History, and Senckenberg Museum were especially important in this regard. In reading the various generic and specific accounts, a clear message is repeated: much alpha taxonomic uncertainty and confusion persist within the Muridae, a situation which warrants very basic, museum-based revisionary attention.

Contents (listed alphabetically): Arvicolinae Gray, 1821 (26 genera, 143 species) Calomyscinae Vorontsov and Potapova, 1979 (1 genus, 6 species) Cricetinae G. Fischer, 1817 (7 genera, 18 species) Cricetomyinae Roberts, 1951 (3 genera, 6 species) Dendromurinae Alston, 1876 (8 genera, 23 species) Gerbillinae Gray, 1825 (14 genera, 110 species) Lophiomyinae Milne Edwards, 1867 (1 genus, 1 species) Murinae liliger, 1815 (122 genera, 529 species) Myospalacinae Lilljeborg, 1866 (1 genus, 7 species) Mystromyinae Vorontsov, 1966 (1 genus, 1 species) Nesomyinae Major, 1897 (7 genera, 14 species) Otomyinae Thomas, 1897 (2 genera, 14 species) Petromyscinae Roberts, 1951 (2 genera, 5 species) Platacanthomyinae Alston, 1876 (2 genera, 3 species) Rhizomyinae Winge, 1887 (3 genera, 15 species) Sigmodontinae Wagner, 1843 (79 genera, 423 species) Spalacinae Gray, 1821 (2 genera, 8 species)