Dasymys capensis, Roberts, 1936

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Muridae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 536-884 : 763

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6887260

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6812131

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1E30E275-3486-FF37-E16B-211071D587EB

treatment provided by

Carolina

scientific name

Dasymys capensis
status

 

453. View Plate 47: Muridae

Cape Shaggy Rat

Dasymys capensis View in CoL

French: Dasymys du Cap / German: Kap-Wollhaarratte / Spanish: Rata peluda de El Cabo

Other common names: Cape Dasymys

Taxonomy. Dasymys capensis Roberts, 1936 View in CoL ,

La Plisante, Wolseley, Western Cape Prov- ince, South Africa.

Formerly included in D. incomtus , D. capen- sis was elevated to species status by S. K. Mullin and colleagues in 2004. Monotypic.

Distribution. Restricted to a few isolated localities in Western Cape Province of South Africa. View Figure

Descriptive notes. Head-body 153 mm, tail 132 mm, ear 20 mm, hindfoot 35 mm;

weight 111 g. Like all Dasymys , the Cape Shaggy Rat has fur soft, shaggy, long-haired, and reddish-brown. Tail is relatively short (86% of head—body length).

Habitat. Swampy areas in wetlands.

Food and Feeding. Predominantly herbivorous, the Cape Shaggy Rat has a diet presumably similar to that of the African Shaggy Rat ( D. incomtus ), including aquatic and semi-aquatic plants and insects.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. Presumably crepuscular and diurnal, like other members of genus. The Cape Shaggy Rats is semi-aquatic.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Classified recently as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List regionally (South Africa) and therefore globally.

Bibliography. Child et al. (2016), Monadjem et al. (2015), Mullin, Pillay & Taylor (2005), Mullin, Taylor & Pillay (2004), Verheyen et al. (2003).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Muridae

Genus

Dasymys

Loc

Dasymys capensis

Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr 2017
2017
Loc

Dasymys capensis

Roberts 1936
1936
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