Lemming
Mountain Lemming ( Lemmus lemmus )
- True Lemmings ( Lemmus )
- Bog lemmings ( Synaptomys )
- Forest Lemming ( Myopus )
The Lemmini are a tribe ( genus group) of the mammals of the subfamily of voles ( Arvicolinae ). It comprises the three genera True Lemmings ( Lemmus ), bog lemmings ( Synaptomys ) and the forest Lemming ( Myopus schisticolor ) with a total depending on systematic view four to eight species.
Features
The species are small to large voles with a short tail. Morphologically, the taxon can distinguish primarily on the basis of the teeth of the other voles.
Distribution, habitat and way of life
The circulation area covers the northern Holarctic. Only one species, the southern bog lemming, inhabits the temperate zone, all other species are restricted to the Arctic region. The species inhabit mainly humid habitats such as wet tundra and coniferous forests, bogs and raised bogs. Spend the winter, the animals active beneath the snow, they do not hibernate.
System
The Tribe Lemmini is both biochemically molecular genetic clearly delineated as a monophyletic and probably represents an early branch of the voles. The Lemmini include after today's perspective, the three genera Real lemmings, lemmings forest and bog lemmings (or lemming mice):
Mountain Lemming ( Lemmus lemmus )
Siberian lemming ( Lemmus sibiricus )
Brown Lemming ( Lemmus trimucronatus )
Pribilof Lemming ( Lemmus nigripes )
Amurlemming ( Lemmus amurensis )
Forest Lemming ( Myopus schisticolor )
Southern bog lemming ( Synaptomys cooperi )
Northern bog lemming ( Synaptomys borealis)
The internal systematics of the tribe has not been sufficiently clarified, though obviously the bog lemmings ( Synaptomys ) are in relation to the other two genera paraphyletic, so already a split in the genus monotypic genera each Synaptomys and Mictomys was in two then proposed.