Hydromys hussoni Musser and Piik 1982 (western water rat)

Mammalia - Rodentia - Muridae

Distribution: Wissel Lakes in Irian Jaya Other specimens: Araboe Bivouac, 1750 m - RMNH 29149, 29171, 29178, 29740-29743; Paniai Lake, Enarotali, 1765 m - RMNH 29141-29148, 29150-29170, 28172-29177, 29179, 29744-29752 Diagnosis: A species of Hydromys that is the smallest of the known species in the genus, and that differs from the largest of these, H. chrysogaster, and from the smaller H. habbema, by possessing the following combination of characters: dark chestnut upperparts (gray in H. habbema, agouti in H. chrysogaster); grayish ochraceous or rich ochraceous underparts (grayish silver or slate gray in H. habbema, grayish buff in H. chrysogaster); tail monocolored in some specimens or with a short distal white segment in others (all specimens of H. habbema and H. chrysogaster with a tail that is dark basally and white distally); skull, mandible and teeth smaller versions of those in H. chrysogaster; skull and molars smaller than those in H. habbema, but incisors absolutely and relatively wider; rostrum rectangular in dorsal outline (instead of tapered distally as in H. habbema); bullae absolutely longer than in H. habbema and longer relative to skull length than in H. habbema and H. chrysogaster; braincase low relative to its height (braincase relatively higher in the other two species).

Full reference: G. G. Musser and E. Piik. 1982. A new species of Hydromys (Muridae) from western New Guinea (Irian Jaya). Zoologische Mededelingen 56(13):153-167

Belongs to Hydromys according to G. G. Musser and E. Piik 1982

Sister taxa: none

Type specimen: RMNH 29140

Ecology: amphibious herbivore-insectivore

Distribution: there are no occurrences of Hydromys hussoni in the database

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