Species Hydromys chrysogaster Geoffroy, 1804
Water-rat
- Hydromys chrysogaster Geoffroy [Saint-Hilaire], É. 1804. Note sur un nouveau genre de mammifères, de l'ordre des rongeurs, sous le nom d'hydromys. Bulletin des Sciences, par la Société Philomathique de Paris 3(93): 353-354 (as 253-254) [Sherborn, C.D. & Woodward, B.B. 1906. On the dates of publication of the natural history portions of the 'Encyclopédie Méthodique'. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 7 17: 577–582 [580] list the page and plate numbers of Livr. 91] [354 (as 254)].
Type data:
Holotype MNHP 781 skin (skull not found in MNHP), Bruny Is., TAS (as l'île Bruni, l'une de celles du détroit d'Entrecasteaux, au sud de la terre de Van-Diémen). - Hydromys leucogaster Geoffroy [Saint-Hilaire], É. 1804. Note sur un nouveau genre de mammifères, de l'ordre des rongeurs, sous le nom d'hydromys. Bulletin des Sciences, par la Société Philomathique de Paris 3(93): 353-354 (as 253-254) [Sherborn, C.D. & Woodward, B.B. 1906. On the dates of publication of the natural history portions of the 'Encyclopédie Méthodique'. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 7 17: 577–582 [580] list the page and plate numbers of Livr. 91] [354 (as 254)].
Type data:
Lectotype MNHP 785 skin (skull not extracted), Maria Is., TAS (as l'île Maria). - Hydromys fulvogaster Jourdan, [?] 1837. Mémoire sur quelques mammifères nouveaux. Comptes Rendus (Hebdomadaires) des Séances de l'Academie des Sciences. Série D. Sciences Naturelles 5: 521-524 [Oct. 1837; publication date established from Thomas, O. 1888. Catalogue of the Marsupialia and Monotremata in the Collection of the British Museum (Natural History). London : British Museum xiii 401 pp. 28 pls [3 Nov. 1888]] [523] [Thomas, O. & Dollman, G. 1909. On mammals from Inkerman, north Queensland, presented to the National Museum by Sir William Ingram, Bt., and the Hon. John Forrest. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1908: 788–794 pl. 42 [publication date established from Duncan, F.M. 1937. On the dates of publication of the Society's 'Proceedings', 1859–1926. With an appendix containing the dates of publication of 'Proceedings', 1830–1858, compiled by the late F.H. Waterhouse, and of the 'Transactions', 1853–1869, by the late Henry Peavot, originally published in P.Z.S. 1893, 1913. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 107: 71–84 [76]] [790], believe that Jourdan's description of H. fulvogaster (as H. fulvoventer) is wholly inapplicable to any WA specimen; the spelling fulvoventer found in Cuvier, F. 1838. Rapport sur un mémoire de M. Jourdan, de Lyon, convernant quelques mammifères nouveaux. Compt. Rend. Hebd. Séanc. Acad. Sci. Paris 6: 2–6 [5] & Ann. Sci. Nat. (2) 8: 367–374 [372] is an incorrect subsequent spelling of fulvogaster; Andersen, K. 1909. Notes on the genus Acerodon, with a synopsis of its species and subspecies, and descriptions of four new forms. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 3: 20–29 [21–23] discusses the history of Jourdan's paper and that of Cuvier's 'Rapport' on the paper].
Type data:
Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown, 'les bords de la rivière des Cygnes. (Australasie)'.Secondary source:
Cuvier, F. 1838. Rapport sur un mémoire de M. Jourdan, de Lyon, convernant quelques mammifères nouveaux. Comptes Rendus (Hebdomadaires) des Séances de l'Academie des Sciences. Série D. Sciences Naturelles 6: 2-6; Andersen, K. 1909. Notes on the genus Acerodon, with a synopsis of its species and subspecies, and descriptions of four new forms. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 3: 20-29; Thomas, O. & Dollman, G. 1909. On mammals from Inkerman, north Queensland, presented to the National Museum by Sir William Ingram, Bt., and the Hon. John Forrest. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1908: 788-794 pl. 42 [Date published Apr. 1909: publication date established from Duncan, F.M. 1937. On the dates of publication of the Society's 'Proceedings', 1859–1926. With an appendix containing the dates of publication of 'Proceedings', 1830–1858, compiled by the late F.H. Waterhouse, and of the 'Transactions', 1853–1869, by the late Henry Peavot, originally published in P.Z.S. 1893, 1913. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 107: 71–84 [76]]. - Hydromys fuliginosus Gould, J. 1853. The Mammals of Australia. London : J. Gould Part 5. [1 unnumbered page of text, 9th pl of Pt 5] [= Vol. 3 pl. 27].
Type data:
Lectotype BMNH 56.10.28.15 ♀ skin & skull, King George Sound, WA.Type locality references:
Thomas, O. 1921. Notes on Australasian rats, with a selection of lectotypes for Australasian Muridae. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 9 8: 425-433 [432]. - Hydromys fulvolavatus Gould, J. 1853. The Mammals of Australia. London : J. Gould Part 5. [1 unnumbered page of text, 10th pl. of Pt 5] [= Vol. 3 pl. 25].
Type data:
Lectotype BMNH 56.10.28.14 ♂ skin & skull, Murray River, SA. - Hydromys lutrilla Gould, J. 1863. The Mammals of Australia. London : J. Gould Part 13. [xxxvii of Introduction].
Type data:
Holotype AM 125 (Palmer Register) skin (part of skull not extracted) (extracted portion of the skull not found in AM), water edge, Elizabeth Bay, Sydney, NSW. - Hydromys beccarii Peters, W. 1874. Diagnosi di tre nuovi mammiferi della Nuova Guinea ed Isole Key. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genova 6: 303 [recorded from Australia by Tate, G.H.H. 1951. Results of the Archbold Expeditions. No. 65 The rodents of Australia and New Guinea. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 97: 183–430 [235]].
Type data:
Syntype(s) MCG 3627 ♂ skin (wet) & skull, 'Weri', Kai (as Key) Kepulauan, Indonesia; ZMB 4805 ♂ skin & skull (a label gives 'Gross Key' as the locality of this specimen), Gross Key. - Hydromys chrysogaster reginae Thomas, O. & Dollman, G. 1909. On mammals from Inkerman, north Queensland, presented to the National Museum by Sir William Ingram, Bt., and the Hon. John Forrest. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1908: 788-794 pl. 42 [Date published Apr. 1909: publication date established from Duncan, F.M. 1937. On the dates of publication of the Society's 'Proceedings', 1859–1926. With an appendix containing the dates of publication of 'Proceedings', 1830–1858, compiled by the late F.H. Waterhouse, and of the 'Transactions', 1853–1869, by the late Henry Peavot, originally published in P.Z.S. 1893, 1913. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 107: 71–84 [76]] [789].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 8.8.8.23 ♂ skin & skull, Inkerman Station, QLD. - Hydromys chrysogaster caurinus Thomas, O. 1909. Two new mammals from N. Australia. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 4: 197-198 [197].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 9.10.3.1 ♀ skin & skull, Parry Creek, 5 miles W of Trig Station HJ9, East Kimberley, WA 10 ft (on skin label); Trig Station HJ9 is located at 15º34´24'S 128º20´47'E. - Hydromys melicertes Thomas, O. 1921. Notes on Australasian rats, with a selection of lectotypes for Australasian Muridae. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 9 8: 425-433 [430].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 13.6.28.37 ♀ skin & skull, Biro, Apsley Strait, Melville Is., NT sea level (altitude from skin label). - Hydromys longmani Thomas, O. 1923. The Godman Exploration Fund: List of mammals from north Queensland collected by Mr T.V. Sherrin. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 9 11: 170-178 [171].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 22.12.18.2 ♂ skin & skull, Vine Creek, Ravenshoe district, QLD 3000 ft. - Hydromys grootensis Troughton, E. le G. 1935. Five new rats of the genera Hydromys and Melomys from northern Australia. Records of the Australian Museum 19: 251-258 [252].
Type data:
Holotype AM M4476 ♂ skin & skull, Groote Eylandt, NT. - Hydromys lawnensis Troughton, E. le G. 1935. Five new rats of the genera Hydromys and Melomys from northern Australia. Records of the Australian Museum 19: 251-258 [253].
Type data:
Holotype AM 5650 ♂ skin & skull, Lawn Hill Creek, Adel's Grove, about 12 miles S of Lawn Hill Station and about 100 miles S of Burketown, QLD. - Hydromys moae Troughton, E. le G. 1935. Five new rats of the genera Hydromys and Melomys from northern Australia. Records of the Australian Museum 19: 251-258 [254].
Type data:
Holotype AM M4558 skin & skull, Moa Is. (as Moa or Banks Island), Torres Strait, QLD.
Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy
- Mahoney, J.A. in Walton, D.W. (ed.) 1988. Zoological Catalogue of Australia Volume 5. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service x 274 pp. [Date published 13/Apr/1988] [158] (see also for status and priority of names)
Distribution
States
Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
IBRA
ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic, WA: Australian Alps (AA), Arnhem Coast (ARC), Arnhem Plateau (ARP), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Ben Lomond (BEL), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Central Arnhem (CA), Carnarvon (CAR), Channel Country (CHC), Central Kimberley (CK), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Daly Basin (DAB), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Desert Uplands (DEU), Dampierland (DL), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Flinders (FLI), Gulf Fall and Uplands (GFU), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Gulf Coastal (GUC), Gulf Plains (GUP), Jarrah Forest (JF), King (KIN), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mitchell Grass Downs (MGD), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), Mulga Lands (ML), Nandewar (NAN), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), New England Tablelands (NET), Northern Kimberley (NK), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Pine Creek (PCK), Pilbara (PIL), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tiwi Cobourg (TIW), Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM), Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Tasmanian West (TWE), Victoria Bonaparte (VB), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Warren (WAR), Wet Tropics (WT), Yalgoo (YAL)
Ecological Descriptors
Amphibious, burrower, inland salt marsh, lentic freshwater, lotic freshwater, necrophagous, noctidiurnal, predator, subtropical, supralittoral.
General References
Barrow, G.J. 1964. Hydromys chrysogaster —some observations. Queensland Naturalist 17: 43-44
Baverstock, P.R., Watts, C.H.S., Adams, M. & Cole, S.R. 1981. Genetical relationships among Australian rodents (Muridae). Australian Journal of Zoology 29: 289-303
Baverstock, P.R., Watts, C.H.S. & Hogarth, J.T. 1977. Chromosome evolution in Australian rodents I. The Pseudomyinae, the Hydromyinae and the Uromys/Melomys Group. Chromosoma (Berlin) 61: 95-125
Breed, W.J. & Sarafis, V. 1979. On the phylogenetic significance of spermatozoal morphology and male reproductive tract anatomy in Australian rodents. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 103: 127-135
Faithfull, I. 1987. The water rat Hydromys chrysogaster in Melbourne. Victorian Naturalist 104: 186
Fanning, F.D. & Dawson, T.D. 1980. Body temperature variability in the Australian water rat, Hydromys chrysogaster, in air and water. Australian Journal of Zoology 28: 229-238
Friend, J.A. & Thomas, N.D. 1990. The water-rat, Hydromys chrysogaster (Muridae) on Dorre Island, W.A. Western Australian Naturalist 18: 92-93
Gardner, J.L. & Serena, M. 1995. Observations on activity patterns, population and den characteristics of the water rat Hydromys chrysogaster along Badger Creek, Victoria. Australian Mammalogy 18: 71-76
Laurence, W.F. 1994. Rainforest fragmentation and the structure of small mammal communities in tropical Queensland. Biological Conservation 69: 23-32
McNally, J. 1960. The biology of the Water Rat Hydromys chrysogaster Geoffroy (Muridae: Hydromyinae) in Victoria. Australian Journal of Zoology 8: 170-180
Morrissey, B.L. & Breed, W.G. 1982. Variation in external morphology of the glans penis of Australian native rodents. Australian Journal of Zoology 30: 495-502
Olsen, P. 1980. Seasonal and maturational pelage changes, and injuries, in the eastern water rat, Hydromys chrysogaster, at Griffith, N.S.W. Australian Wildlife Research 7: 217-233
Olsen, P.D. 1982. Reproductive biology and development of the Water Rat, Hydromys chrysogaster, in captivity. Australian Wildlife Research 9: 39-53
Olsen, P.D. 1995. Water-rat Hydromys chrysogaster. pp. 628-629 in Strahan, R. (ed.). The Mammals of Australia: The National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. Sydney : Reed New Holland 756 pp.
Smales, L.R. 1984. A survey of Hydromys chrysogaster, the Australian water rat in Central Gippsland. Victorian Naturalist 101: 115-118
Smales, L.R. 1997. A review of the helminth parasites of Australian rodents. Australian Journal of Zoology 45: 505-521
Smales, L.R., Miller, A.K. & Obendorf, D.L. 1990. Parasites of the water rat, Hydromys chrysogaster, from Victoria and South Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 37(6): 657-663
Smales, L.R. & Cribb, T.H. 1997. Helminth parasite communities of the water-rat, Hydromys chrysogaster, from Queensland. Wildlife Research 24: 445-457
Smales, L.R. & Obendorf, D.L. 1996. Protozoan parasites and pathological findings in Hydromys chrysogaster (Muridae, Hydromyinae) from Queensland. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 32(2): 344-347
Vernes, K. 1998. Observations of a long-range overland movement event by an adult common water rat, Hydromys chrysogaster. Australian Mammalogy 20: 409-410
Watts, C.H.S. 1982. Australian hydromyine rodents: maintenance of captive colonies. pp. 180-184 in Evans, D.D. (ed.). The Management of Australian Mammals in Captivity. Proceedings of the Scientific Meeting of the Australian Mammal Society, Healesville, Victoria, February 1979. Melbourne : Zoological Board of Victoria 194 pp.
Woollard, P., Vestjens, W. J. M. & Maclean, L. 1978. The ecology of the eastern water rat Hydromys chrysogaster at Griffith, N.S.W.: Food and feeding habits. Australian Wildlife Research 5: 59-73
Common Name References
ABRS 2001. Census of Australian Vertebrates. Australian Biological Resources Study. (Water-rat)
History of changes
Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
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04-Feb-2023 | 10-Dec-2010 | MOVED | ||
10-Dec-2010 | 09-Dec-2010 | MODIFIED | ||
12-Feb-2010 | (import) |