MUROID RODENTS - PHYLOGENY AND EVOLUTION

The Muroidea, a group of rodents that includes mice, rats, gerbils, ha msters and others, encompasses a tremendous diversity of fairly recent geological origin. The taxonomy, systematics, phylogeny and paleontol ogy of the muroid rodents have progressed enormously during the last t wo decades, and many hypotheses on their evolutionary biology have bee n formalized. Nevertheless, there still remain important unanswered qu estions - regarding, for example, local conflicts between molecular an d paleontological data, or the origin of the fast rate of DNA change i n rats and mice - that need more investigation.