Five New Species of Soft-Furred Hedgehogs from Southeast Asia--DNA Analysis of Museum Specimens Brought the New Hedgehogs to Light
Published:01 Feb.2024 Source:Smithsonian
Soft-furred hedgehogs or gymnures are small mammals that are members of the hedgehog family, but as their common name suggests they are furry rather than spiny. Like spiny hedgehogs, they are not rodents and they have a pointy snout. Without the spines of their more well-known cousins, soft-furred hedgehogs superficially look a bit like a mixture of a mouse and a shrew with a short tail. The five new species belong to a group of soft-furred hedgehogs called lesser gymnures (Hylomys) that live in Southeast Asia and previously was only recognized to have been represented by two known species.
A new study led by scientists at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History identifies five new species of soft-furred hedgehogs from Southeast Asia. The study, published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, used DNA analysis and physical characteristics to describe two entirely new species of soft-furred hedgehogs and elevate three subspecies to the level of species. The two new species, named Hylomys vorax and H. macarong, are endemic to the endangered Leuser ecosystem, a tropical rainforest in North Sumatra and Southern Vietnam, respectively.
The genetic results identified seven distinct genetic lineages in Hylomys, suggesting the number of recognized species in the group was about to increase by five, later confirmed by the team's physical observations of the specimens. Describing new species expands humanity's scientific understanding of the natural world can be a tool for boosting conservation in threatened habitats such as Northern Sumatra's Leuser ecosystem. This kind of study can help governments and organizations make hard choices about where to prioritize conservation funding to maximize biodiversity.