Scapteromys
| Scapteromys Temporal range: Late Pliocene to Recent | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Sigmodontinae |
| Tribe: | Akodontini |
| Genus: | Scapteromys Waterhouse, 1837 |
| Type species | |
| Mus tumidus Waterhouse, 1837 | |
| Species | |
|
Scapteromys aquaticus | |
Scapteromys is a genus of South American rodents in the tribe Akodontini of family Cricetidae. Three species are known, found in northern Argentina, southern Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. They are as follows:
- Argentine swamp rat (Scapteromys aquaticus)
- Plateau swamp rat (Scapteromys meridionalis)
- Waterhouse's swamp rat (Scapteromys tumidus)
Species are semiaquatic, living in and near marshes and other bodies of water. They reach a body length of 15 to 20 cm and a tail length of 13–17 cm, and weigh 110-200 g. Fur color is dark gray on top and light gray on the underside. They are primarily crepuscular and nocturnal. Their diet consists mainly of insects; they also consume other invertebrates and plant material.
The three species differ in karyotype, with aquaticus having 2n = 32, tumidus 2n = 24 and meridionalis 2n = 34/36.