Heteromyinae is a subfamily of rodents in the family Heteromyidae,[2] commonly known as spiny pocket mice.

It contains a single extant genus, Heteromys, as well as the extinct genera Diprionomys and Metaliomys.

[1] Heteromys was recently enlarged by inclusion of the members of formerly recognized heteromyine genus Liomys, which was found to be paraphyletic.

[3] Heteromyinae is the sister group of Perognathinae; the two are estimated to have split about 22-23 million years (Ma) ago.

The most recent common ancestor of extant heteromyines is thought to have lived 12-15 Ma ago; the basal species in the subfamily is H.