Editing Muroidea (section)

{{short description|Superfamily of rodents}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{fossil_range|37|0|Middle [[Eocene]] – recent}}
| image = Feldmaus Microtus arvalis.jpg
| image_caption = Common vole (''[[Microtus arvalis]]'')
| taxon = Muroidea
| authority = [[Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger|Illiger]], 1811
| subdivision_ranks = Families
| subdivision = 
[[Platacanthomyidae]]<br>
[[Spalacidae]]<br>
[[Calomyscidae]]<br>
[[Nesomyidae]]<br>
[[Cricetidae]]<br>
[[Muridae]]

'''sister:''' [[Dipodoidea]]
}}

The '''Muroidea''' are a large [[Taxonomic rank|superfamily]] of [[rodent]]s, including [[mice]], [[rat]]s, [[vole]]s, [[hamster]]s, [[lemming]]s, [[Gerbillinae|gerbil]]s, and many other relatives.  Although the Muroidea originated in Eurasia,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=D'elía |first1=G. |last2=González |first2=E.M. |last3=Pardiñas |first3=U.F.J. |date=2003 |title=Phylogenetic analysis of sigmodontine rodents (Muroidea), with special reference to the akodont genus Deltamys |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1616504704700919 |journal=Mammalian Biology |language=en |volume=68 |issue=6 |pages=351–364 |doi=10.1078/1616-5047-00104|hdl=11336/102889 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> they occupy a vast variety of [[habitat (ecology)|habitats]] on every continent except [[Antarctica]]. Some authorities have placed all members of this group into a single family, [[Muridae]], due to difficulties in determining how the [[subfamily|subfamilies]] are related to one another. Many of the families within the Muroidea superfamily have more variations between the families than between the different clades.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Alhajeri |first1=Bader H. |last2=Steppan |first2=Scott J. |date=September 2018 |title=Disparity and Evolutionary Rate Do Not Explain Diversity Patterns in Muroid Rodents (Rodentia: Muroidea) |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11692-018-9453-z |journal=Evolutionary Biology |language=en |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=324–344 |doi=10.1007/s11692-018-9453-z |bibcode=2018EvBio..45..324A |s2cid=255342087 |issn=0071-3260|url-access=subscription }}</ref> A possible explanation for the variations in rodents is because of the location of these rodents; these changes could have been due to radiation<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jansa |first1=Sharon A. |last2=Giarla |first2=Thomas C. |last3=Lim |first3=Burton K. |date=2009-10-15 |title=The Phylogenetic Position of the Rodent Genus Typhlomys and the Geographic Origin of Muroidea |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |language=en |volume=90 |issue=5 |pages=1083–1094 |doi=10.1644/08-MAMM-A-318.1 |issn=0022-2372|doi-access=free }}</ref> or the overall environment they migrated to or originated<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jansa |first1=Sharon A. |last2=Giarla |first2=Thomas C. |last3=Lim |first3=Burton K. |date=2009-10-15 |title=The Phylogenetic Position of the Rodent Genus Typhlomys and the Geographic Origin of Muroidea |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |language=en |volume=90 |issue=5 |pages=1083–1094 |doi=10.1644/08-MAMM-A-318.1 |issn=0022-2372|doi-access=free }}</ref> in. The following [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]] is based on recent well-supported [[molecular phylogeny|molecular phylogenies]].<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Steppan | first1 = S. | last2 = Adkins | first2 = R. | last3 = Anderson | first3 = J. | doi = 10.1080/10635150490468701 | title = Phylogeny and Divergence-Date Estimates of Rapid Radiations in Muroid Rodents Based on Multiple Nuclear Genes | journal = Systematic Biology | volume = 53 | issue = 4 | pages = 533–553 | year = 2004 | pmid =  15371245}}</ref>

The muroids are classified in six [[family (biology)|families]], 19 [[subfamily|subfamilies]], around 280 [[genus|genera]], and at least 1,750 [[species]].