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Nesomyinae

Malagasy rats and mice
Temporal range: Late - Recent
Malagasy Giant Rat (Hypogeomys antimena).jpg
The Malagasy giant rat Hypogeomys antimena has a body length of 30-35 cm (12-14 inches).
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Superfamily: Muroidea
Family: Nesomyidae
Subfamily: Nesomyinae
Forsyth Major, 1897
Genera

Brachytarsomys
Brachyuromys
Eliurus
Gymnuromys
Hypogeomys
Macrotarsomys
Monticolomys
Nesomys
Voalavo


Brachytarsomys
Brachyuromys
Eliurus
Gymnuromys
Hypogeomys
Macrotarsomys
Monticolomys
Nesomys
Voalavo

The Malagasy rats and mice are the sole members of the subfamily Nesomyinae. These animals are the only native rodents of Madagascar, come in many shapes and sizes, and occupy a wide variety of ecological niches. There are nesomyines that resemble gerbils, rats, mice, voles, and even rabbits. There are arboreal, terrestrial, and semi-fossorial varieties.

These rodents are clearly most closely related to some muroid rodents found on the African mainland. Some molecular phylogeneticists consider this clade of Malagasy and African rodents to represent a distinct family, the Nesomyidae. Other researchers place the Nesomyinae into a large family, Muridae, along with all members of the superfamily Muroidea.

It has been reported that the Nesomyinae is not monophyletic, but this has not been supported in other analyses. Additionally, there were problems with this particular study, notably the use of Calomyscus as an outgroup while more distantly related muroids (rhyzomyines) were included in the ingroup. It seems likely that all rodents in Madagascar are descendants from a single invasion of the island.


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