The Nesomyidae are a family of African rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes several subfamilies, all of which are native to either continental Africa or to Madagascar. Included in this family are Malagasy rodents, climbing mice, African rock mice, swamp mice, pouched rats, and the white-tailed rat.
The Malagasy rodents are the sole members of the subfamily Nesomyinae. These animals are the only native rodents of Madagascar, come in many shapes and sizes, and occupy a wide variety of ecological niches. There are nesomyines that resemble gerbils, rats, mice, voles, and even rabbits. There are arboreal, terrestrial, and semi-fossorial varieties.
The genus Blarina, commonly called short-tailed shrews, is a genus of relatively large shrews with relatively short tails found in North America.
Batomys is a genus of rodent endemic to the Philippines. It has six extant described species.
The white-tailed antsangy is a species of rodent in the family Nesomyidae. It is found only in Madagascar.
Eliurus is a genus of rodent in the family Nesomyidae. It contains the following species:
Leopoldamys is a genus of rodents in the family Muridae endemic to Southeast Asia. It contains the following species:
The Manusela mosaic-tailed rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Indonesia. It lives in the rainforests on the island of Seram in Indonesia. Specimens of it weigh 66.5g and have a head and body length of 118-135mm and a tail length of 126–140mm.
The black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to the island of New Guinea.
Nesokia is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to West Asia and Central Asia known as the short-tailed bandicoot rats.
The bushy-tailed jird or bushy-tailed dipodil is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus Sekeetamys. It is found in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan. Its natural habitat is rocky areas.
The Indian gerbil also known as antelope rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
The hairy-tailed antsangy is a species of rodent in the family Nesomyidae. It is found only in Madagascar.
Voalavo is a genus of rodent in the subfamily Nesomyinae, found only in Madagascar. Two species are known, both of which occur in mountain forest above 1250 m (4100 ft) altitude; the northern voalavo lives in northern Madagascar and eastern voalavo is restricted to a small area in the central part of the island. The genus was discovered in 1994 and formally described in 1998. Within Nesomyinae, it is most closely related to the genus Eliurus, and DNA sequence data suggest that the current definitions of these two genera need to be changed.
Brachytarsomys mahajambaensis is an extinct rodent from northwestern Madagascar. It is known from nine isolated molars found in several sites during fieldwork that started in 2001. First described in 2010, it is placed in the genus Brachytarsomys together with two larger living species, which may differ in some details of molar morphology. The presence of B. mahajambaensis, a rare element in the local rodent fauna, suggests that the region was previously more humid.
The Malagasy mountain mouse or Koopman's montane voalavo is a rodent within the subfamily Nesomyinae of the family Nesomyidae. It is monotypic within the genus Monticolomys, and is closely related to the big-footed mouse (Macrotarsomys). It is found in the highlands of eastern Madagascar. A small mouse-like rodent, it is dark brown on the upperparts and dark gray below. It has small, rounded, densely haired ears and broad feet with well-developed pads. The long tail lacks a tuft at the tip. The skull is delicate and lacks crests and ridges on its roof.
Grandidier's tufted-tailed rat is a species of rodent from the family Nesomyidae. Morphological evidence suggests that Grandidier's tufted-tailed rat is most closely related to Petter's tufted-tailed rat, E. petteri. However, Grandidier's tufted-tailed rat is the smaller of the two species.
Dollman's melomys is a species of rodent from the family Muridae. It lives in the eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea at an elevation of at least 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and on the slopes of Mount Hagen and Mount Sisa. However, it is not found east of the Okapa area. It is an arboreal species occurring in montane secondary and degraded forest, preferring moist tropical environments. Formerly considered to be a subspecies of the black-tailed mosaic-tailed rat, the Dollman's melomys is also often listed as its binomial synonym, Melomys gracilis. The melomys is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List due to its wide range, lack of threats, and tolerance of disturbance.
The short-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat or the short-tailed Talaud melomys is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Karakelong and Salebabu in the Talaud Islands in Indonesia where it occurs in forest habitats. The long-tailed Talaud mosaic-tailed rat is also present on the islands and the shorter tail of this species means that it is likely to be mainly terrestrial whereas M. talaudium is largely arboreal.
