Neotropical water rats
| Neotropical water rats | ||||||||||||
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| Peters , 1861 |
The neotropical water rats ( Nectomys ) are a species of rodent living in South America from the group of the New World mice . They include six types.
These rodents are adapted to an aquatic way of life. The hind feet are very long and webbed, the tail has a keel made of bristles on its underside and the fur is water-repellent. It is yellow-brown or brownish on the top and white-yellow on the belly. Dimensions are known for only one species, N. squamipes . This reaches a head body length of 16 to 26 centimeters, a tail length of 17 to 25 centimeters and a weight of 160 to 420 grams.
Neotropical water rats are native to South America, their range extends from Colombia to French Guiana and Argentina . They inhabit forests up to 2200 meters above sea level.
These animals can be found near swamps, lakes or rivers. They are fast swimmers but are also good at climbing. They are nocturnal and build nests as resting places. Their diet consists of plants, insects, tadpoles and small fish.
Six types are known:
- Nectomys apicalis lives in the far west of Brazil, in Ecuador , Peru and Bolivia.
- Nectomys magdalenae occurs only in northern Colombia, on the Cauca and Magdalena rivers.
- Nectomys palmipes isnativeto the island of Trinidad and neighboring parts of Venezuela .
- Nectomys rattus is distributed from eastern Colombia and the three Guiana states to central Brazil. N. parvipes , which is only known from French Guiana, is now counted among this species.
- Nectomys saturatus . This taxon has long been considered a synonym for Nectomys apicalis . A 2019 study showed that it was a valid species.
- Nectomys squamipes lives in southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
Web links
- Endangerment level of the individual species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Elisandra de Almeida Chiquito, Alexandre Reis Percequillo: The taxonomic status of Nectomys saturatus Thomas, 1897 (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae). Zootaxa, Vol. 4550 (3), 2019