Parahydromys Poche 1906

Parahydromys Poche 1906, Zool. Anz., 30: 326.

Type Species: Limnomys asper Thomas 1906

Synonyms: Drosomys Thomas 1906 .

Species and subspecies: 1 species:

Species Parahydromys asper Thomas 1906

Discussion: Hydromys Division. Member of the New Guinea Old Endemics (Musser, 1981 c). Thought to be closely related to species of Hydromys judged by cranial and dental morphology (Tate, 1951; Flannery, 1989; Musser’s study of specimens) phallic traits (Lidicker, 1968), immunological distances (Watts and Baverstock, 1994), and spermatozoal structure (Breed, 1997; Breed and Aplin, 1994). Based upon albumin immunology and spermatozoal traits, Parahydromys joins Hydromys and Leggadina in a larger clade containing members of our Xeromys, Pseudomys, and Uromys Divisions (the "Australasian clade," Watts and Baverstock, 1996), and not the clades formed by our Pogonomys or Lorentzimys Divisions (Watts and Baverstock, 1994 a, 1995 b, 1996; Breed and Aplin, 1994; Breed, 1997). However, analyses of multiple mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences disassociate Leggadina from Parahydromys and Hydromys and cluster it with a Pseudomys-Notomys clade (F. Ford, in litt., 2004; see Leggadina generic account).