Dasymys robertsii, Mullin, P. J. Taylor & Pillay, 2004
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6887260 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6868693 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1E30E275-3486-FF37-E16B-240C76998FC3 |
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treatment provided by |
Carolina |
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scientific name |
Dasymys robertsii |
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Roberts’s Shaggy Rat
French: Dasymys de Roberts / German: Robert-\ Wollhaarratte / Spanish: Rata peluda de Robert
Other common names: Roberts's Dasymys
Taxonomy. Dasymys robertsii Mullin, P. J. Taylor & Pillay, 2004 ,
Klipfontein, Wa-terberg Mts, 1091 m, Limpopo Province, South Africa .
Dasymys robertsii is distinguished from D. incomtus (sensu stricto) by allozyme, chromosomal and craniometric characters. Monotypic.
Distribution. NE Zimbabwe, extreme E Botswana, and NE South Africa. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 149 mm,
tail 128 mm, ear 20 mm, hindfoot 32 mm; weight 90 g. Like all Dasymys , Roberts’s Shaggy Rat has soft, shaggy, long-haired fur that is reddish brown in color dorsally and dull gray ventrally. Head is broad, with short muzzle, vibrissae long, and ears rounded and well furred on inside. Tail is of medium length (86% of head-body length), heavily scaled, sparsely haired, and darker above than below.
Habitat. Swampy areas in wetlands.
Food and Feeding. Roberts’s Shaggy Rat is primarily herbivorous, feeding mostly on aquatic and terrestrial plants, but to a lesser extent also on insects.
Breeding. Breeding season ofRoberts’s Shaggy Rat in Zimbabwe is in warm wet months of August—-March.
Activity patterns. Roberts’s Shaggy Rats are predominantly crepuscular and diurnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.
Status and Conservation. Not assessed on The IUCN Red List. Classified as vulnerable regionally (South Africa).
Bibliography. Child et al. (2016), Monadjem et al. (2015), Mullin, Pillay & Taylor (2005), Mullin, Pillay, Taylor & Campbell (2002), Smithers (1975).
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.
