Family MURIDAE

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Family MURIDAE

Compiler and date details

December 2010 - Updated by S. Jackson, c/- Queensland Museum, Brisbane, following Van Dyck & Strahan (2008)

31 December 1998 - J.A. Mahoney & B.J. Richardson (1986); updated by Barry J. Richardson (1999), Centre for Biostructural and Biomolecular Research, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury

Introduction

The Muridae, a most ubiquitous family of rats and mice, is cosmopolitan. Several species are commensal with man and the now cosmopolitan distribution of the family is directly related to this commensal relationship. Murids may be terrestrial, arboreal, burrowing, partially aquatic, herbivorous, frugivorous, omnivorous, carnivorous, nocturnal, diurnal and crepuscular. The dental formula is 1/1, 0/0, 0/0, 2,3/2,3 = 12 or 16. The incisors grow continuously and are chisel-shaped. The feet are pentadactyl though the pollux is greatly reduced. Typically, the tail is well covered with hair among Australian species.

All Australian native rodents are murids and come from two subfamilies, the 'old endemics' of the Hydromyinae and the 'new endemics,' plus recent immigrants, of the Murinae. Four murids, all commensals with man, are recent introductions: Rattus rattus, Rattus norvegicus, Rattus exulans and Mus musculus. Two other rodents of the family Sciuridae, Funambulus pennant, from India and North Americian Sciurus carolinensis, have also been introduced. These two sciurid species have had little success in becoming established as natural populations and, therefore, are not included in this catalogue.