452. Roberts’s Shaggy Rat Dasymys robertsii 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. 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).

Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Muridae, pp. 536-884 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 763, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6887260