Lemmini is a
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...
of
lemmings
A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. Lemmings form the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae) together with voles and muskrats, which form part of the superfamily Muroidea, which also include ...
in the subfamily
Arvicolinae
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). Some authorities place ...
. Species in this tribe are:
Tribe Lemmini
* Genus
''Lemmus'' - true lemmings
**
Amur lemming
The Amur lemming (''Lemmus amurensis'') is a species of lemmings found near the Amur River in Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of ...
(''L. amurensis'')
**
Norway lemming
The Norway lemming, also known as the Norwegian lemming (''Lemmus lemmus'') is a common species of lemming found in northern Fennoscandia, where it is the only vertebrate species endemic to the region. The Norway lemming dwells in tundra and fell ...
(''L. lemmus'')
**
Beringian lemming
The Beringian lemming or Beringian brown lemming (''Lemmus nigripes'') is a species of lemming found in Russia and North America.
Taxonomy
It was formerly considered conspecific with the Canadian lemming (''L. trimucronatus'') with both spec ...
(''L. nigripes'')
**
East Siberian lemming
The East Siberian lemming, Eastern Siberian brown lemming, or Ognev's lemming (''Lemmus paulus'') is a species of lemming endemic to Russia, where it has a disjunct distribution throughout parts of Siberia east of the Verkhoyansk Range.
Taxono ...
(''L. paulus'')
**
West Siberian lemming
The West Siberian lemming or Western Siberian brown lemming (''Lemmus sibiricus'') is a true lemming species found in the Russian Federation. Like other lemmings, it belongs to the Cricetidae family of rodents.
It is endemic to Russia, where i ...
(''L. sibiricus'')
**
North American brown lemming
The Canadian lemming or Nearctic brown lemming (''Lemmus trimucronatus'') is a small North American lemming.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the Canadian lemming is tangled with the Siberian brown lemming and the Beringian lemming.
The Canadian lemm ...
(''L. trimucronatus'')
* Genus ''
Myopus
The wood lemming (''Myopus schisticolor'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It belongs to the rodent subfamily Arvicolinae, so is a relative of the voles, lemmings, and muskrats.
It is found in the taiga biome of China, Estonia, F ...
'' - wood lemming
**
Wood lemming
The wood lemming (''Myopus schisticolor'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It belongs to the rodent subfamily Arvicolinae, so is a relative of the voles, lemmings, and muskrats.
It is found in the taiga biome of China, Estonia, F ...
(''M. schisticolor'')
* Genus ''
Synaptomys'' - bog lemmings
**
Northern bog lemming (''S. borealis'')
**
Southern bog lemming
The southern bog lemming (''Synaptomys cooperi'') is a small North American lemming
A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. Lemmings form the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae) together ...
(''S. cooperi'')
The fossil taxa ''
Mictomys'', ''
Tobienia'' (both thought to be allied with ''Synaptomys''), and ''
Plioctomys'' (thought to be allied with ''Lemmus'' and ''Myopus'') are also thought to belong to this group.
A 2021 phylogenetic study using
mtDNA
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA ...
recovered Lemmini as being the most
basal clade of the Arvicolinae, diverging during the late
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
, about 8 million years ago.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q234150
Voles and lemmings
Mammal tribes
Taxa named by George Gaylord Simpson