In South America _Mus_, or more probably _Hesperomys_, is abundant in Brazilian caverns, and _Oxymycterus_ in the Pliocene of La Plata; while _Arvicola_ is said to have occurred both in the Pliocene and Eocene deposits of the same country.
FAMILY 56.--SPALACIDÆ. (7 Genera, 17 Species.)
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION. __________________________________/\__________________________________ / \ NEOTROPICAL| NEARCTIC |PALÆARCTIC | ETHIOPIAN | ORIENTAL | AUSTRALIAN SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS. -----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------ | | | | | -- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|1. 2. 3 -- |1. 2. 3 -- | 1 -- 3. 4 |-- -- -- -- | | | | |
The Spalacidæ, or mole-rats, have a straggling distribution over the Old World continents. They are found over nearly the whole of Africa, but only in the South-east of Europe, and West of Temperate Asia, but appearing again in North India, Malacca, and South China. _Ellobius_ (1 sp.), is found in South Russia and South-west Siberia; _Spalax_ (1 sp.), Southern Russia, West Asia, Hungary, Moldavia, and Greece (Plate II., vol. i. p. 218); _Rhizomys_ (6 sp.), Abyssinia, North India, Malacca, South China; _Heterocephalus_ (1 sp.), Abyssinia; _Bathyerges_ (= _Orycterus_ 1 sp.), South Africa; _Georychus_ (6 sp.), South, Central, and East Africa; _Heliophobus_ (1 sp.), Mozambique.
FAMILY 57.--DIPODIDÆ. (3 Genera, 22 Species.)
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION. __________________________________/\__________________________________ / \ NEOTROPICAL| NEARCTIC |PALÆARCTIC | ETHIOPIAN | ORIENTAL | AUSTRALIAN SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS. -----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------ | | | | | -- -- -- --|1. 2. 3. 4 |-- 2. 3. 4 |1. 2. 3 -- |-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- | | | | |
The Jerboas, or jumping mice, are especially characteristic of the regions about the eastern extremity of the Mediterranean, being found in South Russia, the Caspian district, Arabia, Egypt, { 232}and Abyssinia; but they also extend over a large part of Africa, and eastward to India; while isolated forms occur in North America, and the Cape of Good Hope. _Dipus_ = _Gerbillus_ (20 sp.), inhabits North and Central Africa, South-East Europe, and across Temperate Asia to North China, also Afghanistan, India, and Ceylon; _Pedetes_ (1 sp.), South Africa to Mozambique and Angola; _Jaculus_ = _Meriones_ (1 sp.), North America, from Nova Scotia and Canada, south to Pennsylvania and west to California and British Columbia (Plate XX., vol. ii. p. 135).