''Dasymys'' is a genus of semiaquatic rodents in the subfamily Murinae, the Old World rats and mice. The genus is endemism, endemic to Africa.
[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.
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.
[Mullin, S. K., et al. (2004)]
Skull size and shape of ''Dasymys'' (Rodentia, Muridae) from sub-Saharan Africa.
''Mammalia'' 68(2-3), 185-220. Species are more common in the northern regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, likely because their wetland habitat is more degraded in southern regions.
[Mullin, S. K., et al. (2005)]
The distribution of the water rat ''Dasymys'' (Muridae) in Africa: a review.
''South African Journal of Science'' 101(3), 117-24.
The genus is not well studied and its Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy is not clear. The number of species and their relationships have only been tentatively determined.
[
Species include:
*''Glover Allen's dasymys, Dasymys alleni'' – Glover Allen's dasymys
*''Crawford-Cabral's dasymys, Dasymys cabrali'' – Crawford-Cabral's dasymys
*''Fox's shaggy rat, Dasymys foxi'' – Fox's shaggy rat
*''African marsh rat, Dasymys incomtus'' – African marsh rat
*''Montane shaggy rat, Dasymys montanus'' – Montane shaggy rat
*''Angolan marsh rat, Dasymys nudipes'' – Angolan marsh rat
*''Dasymys robertsii''
*''West African shaggy rat, Dasymys rufulus'' – West African shaggy rat
*''Rwandan dasymys, Dasymys rwandae'' – Rwandan dasymys
*''Dasymys shortridgei''
*''Tanzanian dasymys, Dasymys sua'' – Tanzanian dasymys
]
References
Dasymys,
Rodents of Africa
Rodent genera
Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Murinae-stub