Host galaxies of 2MASS-selected QSOs to redshift 0.3

We present and discuss optical imaging of 76 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) that represent the selected Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) sample for z < 0.3, from a full list of 243. They are found to have dust-obscured nuclei, residing in host galaxies that show a high fraction (greater than 70%) of tidal interactions. The derived luminosities of the AGNs and host galaxies are similar to traditionally selected AGNs, and they may comprise some 40% of the total AGN population at low redshift. We have measured a number of host galaxy properties and discuss their distributions and interrelations. We compare the 2MASS AGNs with optically selected samples and the IRAS-selected galaxy samples and discuss the differences in terms of merger processes and initial conditions.