Sminthidae is a family of mouse-like jumping rodents. They are represented by two extant genera, Sicista and Breviforamen, represented by 24 species found throughout most of Eurasia, from central Europe east to Siberia, and south to southern China. However, they were much more diverse and had a much wider range in prehistory, having multiple genera and being found not only in Eurasia but also throughout North America, where they existed up to the early Pleistocene. They have a well-attested fossil record which dates as far back as the early Oligocene.
They were formerly classified as the subfamily Sicistinae in the family Dipodidae alongside the jerboas and jumping mice, but phylogenetic evidence supports all three of these belonging to distinct families, thus leaving only the jerboas in Dipodidae.
Extant species
Genus Sicista Armenian birch mouse Sicista armenica Northern birch mouse, Sicista betulina Short-taild birch mouse, Sicista brevicauda Caucasian birch mouse, Sicista caucasica Long-tailed birch mouse, Sicista caudata Tsimlyansk birch mouse, Sicista cimlanica Chinese birch mouse, Sicista concolor Kazbeg birch mouse, Sicista kazbegica Kluchor birch mouse, Sicista kluchorica Kashmir birch mouse, Sicista leathemi Nordmann's birch mouse, Sicista loriger Meigu birch mouse, Sicista meiguites Altai birch mouse, Sicista napaea Gray birch mouse, Sicista pseudonapaea Severtzov's birch mouse, Sicista severtzovi Strand's birch mouse, Sicista strandi Southern birch mouse, Sicista subtilis Talgar birch mouse, Sicista talgarica Terskey birch mouse, Sicista terskeica Tien Shan birch mouse, Sicista tianshanica Hungarian birch mouse, Sicista trizona Sichuan birch mouse, Sicista weigoldi Zhetysu birch mouse, Sicista zhetysuica Genus Breviforamen Short-foramen birch mouse, Breviforamen shannanense
Extinct genera These extinct genera are definitively known:
Genus †Allosminthus Genus †Heosminthus Genus †Heterosminthus Genus †Gobiosminthus Genus †Lophocricetus Genus †Macrognathomys Genus †Megasminthus Genus †Miosicista Genus †Parasminthus Genus †Plesiosminthus Genus †Schaubemys Genus †Shamosminthus Genus †Sinosminthus Genus †Tyrannomys
The Eocene genera Primisminthus and Banyuesminthus could represent even older members of Sminthidae, although other studies speculate that they may be basal dipodoids.
References