Dasymys rwandae, W. Verheyen, Hulselmans, Dierckx, Colyn, Leirs & E. Verheyen, 2003
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6887260 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6868687 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1E30E275-34B9-FF08-E492-2D157F0A86D3 |
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treatment provided by |
Carolina |
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scientific name |
Dasymys rwandae |
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Rwandan Shaggy Rat
French: Dasymys du Rwanda / German: Ruanda-Wollhaarratte / Spanish: Rata peluda de Ruanda
Other common names: Rwanda Dasymys, Rwanda Shaggy Rat, Rwandan Dasymys
Taxonomy. Dasymys rwandae W. N. Verheyen et al, 2003 View in CoL ,
Kinigi, Virunga Volcanoes (Nyungwe Forest), 2250 m, NW Rwanda.
W. N. Verheyen and colleagues described this taxon in 2003 as a new species on ba- sis of craniometric differences that distinguish it from D. cf. incomtus and D. allen . Genetic distances between rwandae and both D. medius and D. allen : are, however, low (less than 2%) for species differentiation. Monotypic.
Distribution. Rwanda, known only from type locality and neighboring areas. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 122 mm, tail 111 mm, ear 18 mm, hindfoot 27 mm; weight 77 g. The Rwandan Shaggy Rat, like all Dasymys , has fur that is soft, shaggy, long-haired, and reddish brown dorsally and dull gray ventrally. Head is broad, with short muzzle, vibrissae long, and ears rounded and well furred on inside. Tail is shorter (92%) than head-body length, heavily scaled, sparsely haired, and darker above than below.
Habitat. Swampy areas in wetlands.
Food and Feeding. The Rwandan Shaggy Rat is presumably herbivorous.
Breeding. No information.
Activity patterns. Rwandan Shaggy Rats are mostly nocturnal, like most members of genus.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List.
Bibliography. Monadjem et al. (2015), Verheyen et al. (2003).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
