Myomorpha
/ˈmʌɪə(ʊ)ˌmɔːfə
/plural noun Zoology
A major division of the rodents that includes the rats, mice, voles, hamsters, and their relatives.
- Suborder Myomorpha, order Rodentia.
- The rate of nucleotide substitutions in mice and rats is known to be higher than in other mammal groups; these results suggest rate changes within the lineage of Suborder Myomorpha.
- They placed them within Myomorpha based on derived cranial characters.
Derivatives
myomorph
- If this is true, then it indicates that caviomorphs are not closely related genetically to the myomorphs and should be recognized as a different order.
- Testes in male myomorphs are relatively large and present in a scrotum, whereas male guinea pigs and chinchillas do not have a true scrotum and the testes lie in the inguinal canal.
- Three jaw muscle patterns, sciuromorph, myomorph, and hystricomorph are often used to designate major taxonomic divisions of the rodents.
Origin
Modern Latin (plural), from Greek mus, mu- 'mouse' + morphē 'form'.