Five new soft-furred hedgehogs discovered after taxonomic revision

The hylomys genus has been revised through molecular and morphological data from museum specimens across its distribution, resulting in the description of two new species and the elevation of three subspecies to specific status. In total this means that there now are seven species within the hylomys genus.

Respectively the seven species are: H. dorsalis, H. macarong sp. nov, H. maxi, H. parvus, H. peguensis, H. suillus en H. vorax sp. nov. The species H. dorsalis, H. maxi and H. peguensis used to be subspecies of the H. suillus, but are now considered distinct species. H. macarong sp. nov and H. vorax sp. nov are newly discovered species, though specimens of the species have been distributed to and displayed in museums for decades without being determined.

The full article can be found on NBC News and the scientific study can be found on the Zoological journal of the Linnean Society.

Species list on The Hedgehog Program

With the news of the new species and the revisions of the subspecies mentioned above, we will adjust our species list on the website using the recommended English common names for the species as mentioned in the scientific study.