Dasymys
Dasymys is a genus of semiaquatic rodents in the subfamily Murinae, the Old World rats and mice. The genus is endemic to Africa.[1]
| Dasymys Temporal range: Late Pliocene to Recent | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Subfamily: | Murinae |
| Genus: | Dasymys Peters, 1875 |
| Species | |
|
about 11, see text | |
These rats are wetland habitat specialists, occurring in marshy areas with wet ground and thick vegetation, such as swamps and vleis. They swim well. They are nocturnal and solitary.[2] Species are more common in the northern regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, likely because their wetland habitat is more degraded in southern regions.[3]
The genus is not well studied and its taxonomy is not clear. The number of species and their relationships have only been tentatively determined.[2]
Species include:
- Dasymys alleni – Glover Allen's dasymys
- Dasymys cabrali – Crawford-Cabral's dasymys
- Dasymys foxi – Fox's shaggy rat
- Dasymys incomtus – African marsh rat
- Dasymys montanus – Montane shaggy rat
- Dasymys nudipes – Angolan marsh rat
- Dasymys robertsii
- Dasymys rufulus – West African shaggy rat
- Dasymys rwandae – Rwandan dasymys
- Dasymys shortridgei
- Dasymys sua – Tanzanian dasymys
References
- Monatsb. K. Preuss. Akad. Wiss., Berlin: 12. In: Wilson, D. E. & D. M. Reeder. (eds.) 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed). Johns Hopkins University Press. 2005.
- Mullin, S. K., et al. (2004). Skull size and shape of Dasymys (Rodentia, Muridae) from sub-Saharan Africa. Archived 2013-12-02 at the Wayback Machine Mammalia 68(2-3), 185-220.
- Mullin, S. K., et al. (2005). The distribution of the water rat Dasymys (Muridae) in Africa: a review. Archived 2013-12-02 at the Wayback Machine South African Journal of Science 101(3), 117-24.
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