Dasymys

Genus of rodents

Dasymys
Temporal range: Late Pliocene to Recent
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Tribe: Arvicanthini
Genus: Dasymys
Peters, 1875
Type species
Dasymys gueinzii[1]
Species

about 11, see text

Dasymys is a genus of semiaquatic rodents in the subfamily Murinae, the Old World rats and mice. The genus is endemic to Africa.[1]

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:

References

  1. ^ a b 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.
  2. ^ a b 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.
  3. ^ 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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Extant species of subfamily Murinae (Colomys–Golunda)
Colomys
Division
Colomys
  • African wading rat (C. goslingi)
Nilopegamys
  • Ethiopian amphibious rat (N. plumbeus)
Zelotomys
(Stink mice)
  • Hildegarde's broad-headed mouse (Z. hildegardeae)
  • Woosnam's broad-headed mouse (Z. woosnami)
Crunomys
Division
Crunomys
  • Celebes shrew-rat (C. celebensis)
  • Northern Luzon shrew-rat (C. fallax)
  • Mindanao shrew-rat (C. melanius)
  • Katanglad shrew-mouse (C. suncoides)
Sommeromys
  • Sommer's Sulawesi rat (S. macrorhinos)
Dacnomys
Division
Anonymomys
  • Mindoro climbing rat (A. mindorensis)
Chiromyscus
  • Fea's tree rat (C. chiropus)
Dacnomys
  • Millard's rat (D. millardi)
Leopoldamys
(Long-tailed
giant rats)
  • Sundaic mountain leopoldamys (L. ciliatus)
  • Diwangkara's long-tailed giant rat (L. diwangkarai)
  • Edwards's long-tailed giant rat (L. edwardsi)
  • Millet's leopoldamys (L. milleti)
  • Neill's long-tailed giant rat (L. neilli)
  • Long-tailed giant rat (L. sabanus)
  • Mentawai long-tailed giant rat (L. siporanus)
Niviventer
(White-bellied rats)
  • Anderson's white-bellied rat (N. andersoni)
  • Brahma white-bellied rat (N. brahma)
  • Cameron Highlands white-bellied rat (N. cameroni)
  • Chinese white-bellied rat (N. confucianus)
  • Coxing's white-bellied rat (N. coninga)
  • Dark-tailed tree rat (N. cremoriventer)
  • Oldfield white-bellied rat (N. culturatus)
  • Smoke-bellied rat (N. eha)
  • Large white-bellied rat (N. excelsior)
  • Montane Sumatran white-bellied rat (N. fraternus)
  • Chestnut white-bellied rat (N. fulvescens)
  • Limestone rat (N. hinpoon)
  • Lang Bian white-bellied rat (N. langbianis)
  • Narrow-tailed white-bellied rat (N. lepturus)
  • Hainan white-bellied rat (N. lotipes)
  • White-bellied rat (N. niviventer)
  • Long-tailed mountain rat (N. rapit)
  • Tenasserim white-bellied rat (N. tenaster)
Saxatilomys
  • Paulina's limestone rat (S. paulinae)
Srilankamys
  • Ohiya rat (S. ohiensis)
Tonkinomys
  • Daovantien's limestone rat (T. daovantieni)
Dasymys
Division
Dasymys
(Shaggy
swamp rats)
  • Glover Allen's dasymys (D. alleni)
  • Crawford-Cabral's shaggy rat (D. cabrali)
  • Fox's shaggy rat (D. foxi)
  • African marsh rat (D. incomtus)
  • Montane shaggy rat (D. montanus)
  • Angolan marsh rat (D. nudipes)
  • Robert's shaggy rat (D. robertsii)
  • West African shaggy rat (D. rufulus)
  • Rwandan shaggy rat (D. rwandae)
  • D. shortridgei
  • Tanzanian shaggy rat (D. sua)
Echiothrix
Division
Echiothrix
  • Central Sulawesi echiothrix (E. centrosa)
  • Northern Sulawesi echiothrix (E. leucura)
Golunda
Division
Golunda
  • Indian bush rat (G. ellioti)
See also
Aethomys–Chrotomys
Hadromys–Maxomys
Melasmothrix–Mus
Oenomys–Pithecheir
Pogonomys–Pseudomys
Rattus
Stenocephalomys–Xeromys
Otomys
Others
Taxon identifiers
Dasymys


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