Phenacomyini 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
voles
Voles are small rodents that are relatives of lemmings and hamsters, but with a stouter body; a longer, hairy tail; a slightly rounder head; smaller eyes and ears; and differently formed molars (high-crowned with angular cusps instead of low-c ...
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 ...
. It contains five species in two genera, all of which are found in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
Species in this tribe are:
* Genus ''
Arborimus'' - tree voles
**
White-footed vole, ''A. albipes''
**
Red tree vole
The red tree vole (''Arborimus longicaudus'') is a rodent of the Pacific Northwest, found in the US states of Oregon and California. They were formerly known as ''Phenacomys longicaudus'' and have also been called the red tree mouse.
Descriptio ...
, ''A. longicaudus''
**
Sonoma tree vole
The Sonoma tree vole or California red tree mouse (''Arborimus pomo'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. ''In'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Ref ...
, ''A. pomo''
* Genus ''
Phenacomys'' - heather voles
**
Western heather vole
The western heather vole (''Phenacomys intermedius'') is a small vole found in western North America. Until recently, the eastern heather vole, (''Phenacomys ungava''), was considered to be a subspecies. They have short ears with stiff orange ha ...
, ''P. intermedius''
**
Eastern heather vole
The eastern heather vole, (''Phenacomys ungava''), is a small North American vole. Until recently, this species was considered to belong to the same species as the western heather vole, ''Phenacomys intermedius''. It is also called the Ungava vo ...
, ''P. ungava''
The fossil taxa ''
Hibbardomys'' and ''
Paraphenacomys'' likely also belong to this tribe.
The phylogenetic affinities of this tribe have been disputed; some authors have classified them as belonging in the same clade as
Arvicolini
Arvicolini is a tribe of voles in the subfamily Arvicolinae.
A 2021 study found that ''Arvicola'' may not belong in this group, instead being sister to the tribe Lagurini.
List of species
Tribe Arvicolini
*Genus ''Arvicola'' - water voles
** Eu ...
and
Myodini
The Myodini are a tribe of forest voles in the subfamily Arvicolinae. Species in this tribe are:
*Tribe Myodini
**Genus '' Alticola'' - voles from Central Asia
***Subgenus ''Alticola''
**** White-tailed mountain vole, ''A. albicauda''
**** Silve ...
, while others ally them with the otherwise
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
tribe
Dicrostonychini
Dicrostonychini is a tribe of lemmings 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 (compris ...
and place them outside the clade containing other voles.
A 2021 phylogenetic study found Phenacomyini to form a sister group to Dicrostonychini and synonymized it with them.
References
Voles and lemmings
Mammal tribes
{{Arvicolinae-stub