vs Common Water Rat

Botryotinia calthae compared with Hydromys chrysogaster

Key Differences

• is Not Evaluated while Common Water Rat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Common Water Rat
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Leotiomycetes (Leotiomycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Helotiales (Helotiales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Sclerotiniaceae	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Botryotinia	Hydromys
Species	Botryotinia calthae	Hydromys chrysogaster

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Common Water Rat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Common Water Rat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark and Norway.

Common Water Rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Botryotinia calthae is an ascomycete fungus in the family Sclerotiniaceae, the sexual stage of a Botrytis-like pathogen that infects marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) in wetland habitats. It forms sclerotia in infected plant tissue that persist in soil to initiate future infections. As a necrotrophic pathogen, it kills host tissue and then feeds on the resulting dead material.

Common Water Rat

<em>Hydromys chrysogaster</em>, commonly known as the common water rat or rakali, is a semi-aquatic rodent in the family Muridae, native to Australia and New Guinea. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, reflecting its relatively stable population across a broad range of freshwater and estuarine habitats on the Australian continent and associated islands. The species typically inhabits the banks of rivers, lakes, wetlands, and estuaries, where it constructs burrows in streambanks. It is highly adapted for an aquatic lifestyle, with partially webbed hind feet, a flattened head, and a dense waterproof coat. <em>Hydromys chrysogaster</em> is a carnivore, typically feeding on fish, crustaceans, mussels, frogs, and aquatic invertebrates, which it often carries to elevated feeding platforms to consume. The species is nocturnal and crepuscular, most active during early morning and evening hours near the water's edge. Biological traits including average lifespan, body length, and weight remain poorly documented in standardized databases, though adults are generally robust for a rodent, reportedly reaching body lengths of 20–35 cm excluding the tail. Geographic range details for this particular record remain incompletely documented in available data sources. Ecologically, the common water rat is an important apex predator in small-scale freshwater food webs and serves as an indicator species for wetland health in Australian riparian systems.