Dasymys incomtus

454.

African Shaggy Rat

Dasymys incomtus

French: Dasymys dAfrique / German: Afrikanische Wollhaarratte / Spanish: Rata peluda de Africa

Other common names: Common Dasymys

Taxonomy. Mus incomtus Sundevall, 1847,

“Caffraria prope Portum Natal [= KwaZu-lu-Natal, Durban |”, South Africa.

Dasymys incomtus was formerly regarded as having a wide African distribution and included many other taxa, but is currently restricted to South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe following detailed studies by S. K. Mullin and colleagues in 2002 and 2004, and A. Monadjem and coworkers in 2015. A number of populations from

Congo Basin and Central Africa previously assigned to D. incomtus were reassigned by Monadjem and colleagues in 2015 to D. cf. incomtus. Name D. bentleyae may be available for this unnamed taxon, but revision of genetic and taxonomic relationships of these populationsis required. Monotypic.

Distribution. SW Zimbabwe, E South Africa, and Swaziland; the range of the form cf. incomtus includes much of C Africa (Gabon, Republic of the Congo, DR Congo, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 137-192 mm, tail 119-160 mm, ear 15-24 mm, hindfoot 31-35 mm; weight 103-218 g. The African Shaggy Rat,like its congeners, has soft, shaggy, long-haired fur that is reddish brown dorsally and dull gray ventrally. Head is broad with a short muzzle, vibrissae long, and ears rounded and well furred on the inside. Tail is of medium length (88% of head—body length), heavily scaled, sparsely haired, and darker above than below. The form cf. incomtus is similar but tail is shorter than head-body length.

Habitat. Swampy areas in wetlands.

Food and Feeding. African Shaggy Rats are predominantly herbivorous, with a diet including aquatic and semi-aquatic plants, supplemented with insects.

Breeding. Litter size in South Africa is 2-9. Gestation in a captive population was ¢.29 days. Young are weaned by day 24, but continue nipple-clinging until day 30. Males mate by week 8, and females can complete their first estrous cycle and conceive at 18-19 weeks of age.

Activity patterns. African Shaggy Rats are semi-aquatic and predominantly crepuscular and diurnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern 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), De Graaff (1981), Monadjem et al. (2015), Mullin, Pillay & Taylor (2004), Mullin, Pillay, Taylor & Campbell (2002), Mullin, Taylor & Pillay (2004), Pillay (2003), Smithers (1975), Taylor (1998).