A new record of the false water-rat, Xeromys myoides, from the Northern Territory of Australia.

Abstract

Two specimens of the false water-rat, Xeromys myoides, were captured recently in the Daly River region of the Northern Territory. The last previous collection of this species in the Northern Territory was in I 903. The rats were trapped in short grass on the edges of lagoons. This habitat is threatened by buffalo, pigs and, to a lesser extent, feral and domestic cattle. It is concluded that the future of the false water-rat is endangered by such damage. X. myoides exhibits a number of adaptations for aquatic life which were not previously recognized.