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Context

• Scientists have identified a new species of the hedgehog genus Mesechinus living the scrubland and subtropical forests of eastern China.

Details

• Mesechinus is a small genus of mammals in the hedgehog family Erinaceidae.
• The genus until now comprised four species from East Asia: Mesechinus dauuricus, Mesechinus hughi, Mesechinus miodon, and Mesechinus wangi.
• Except for Mesechinus wangi, which is found in southwestern China, the other three species are mainly distributed in northern China and adjacent Mongolia and Siberia.
• Mesechinus orientalis is a small-bodied hedgehog, similar to Mesechinus hughi, but smaller than other Mesechinus species.
• It has the shortest spines in the genus (1.8-2 cm). There are four color rings on the spine from the base to the tip: two-thirds of the length is white at the base, followed by a 3-4 mm black ring, a narrow light ring, and a black tip.
• The nose is brown, with black whiskers on the snout; these whiskers shorten towards the nose. The ears are small and nearly the same length as the surrounding spines.
• Mesechinus orientalis appears to be sexually dimorphic. The pelage of males is generally gray, while that of most of the females is reddish brown.
• The new species is currently known from southern Anhui and northwestern Zhejiang, both in eastern China.
• It can be found in scrubland and subtropical broad-leaf evergreen forests at elevations from 30 to 700 m.
• The new species is geographically isolated from its congeners by at least 1,000 km, and it is currently the southeasternmost species of
• Mesechinus orientalis is a sister to the lineage composed of Mesechinus hughi and Mesechinus wangi from which it diverged approximately 1.1 million years ago.

Significance

• The discovery of a new species of Mesechinus in eastern China has greatly expanded the known range of the genus and is vital in understanding the macroevolution of the genus.

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