Shrew hedgehog
| Shrew hedgehog | ||||||||||||
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Shrew hedgehog ( Neotetracus sinensis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Neotetracus | ||||||||||||
| Trouessart , 1909 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Neotetracus sinensis | ||||||||||||
| Trouessart , 1909 |
The shrew urchin ( Neotetracus sinensis ) is a mammal from the group of rat urchins (Galericinae) within the hedgehog (Erinaceidae), which is native to the south of the People's Republic of China . The animals live mainly in moist mountain forests and feed on insects and other invertebrates. The stocks are not endangered.
description
1: dorsal
2: ventral
3: lateral
4: lower jaw, lateral
5: lower jaw, occlusal
The shrew hedgehog reaches a head-body length of 9.1 to 12.1 centimeters and a tail length of about 5.6 to 7.8 centimeters. The hind feet are 21 to 36 millimeters long. The body is shrew-like with a shorter snout. Their fur is dyed a matt olive brown on the back, the belly is gray with a light yellow tinge. A narrow black stripe on the back may be present. Compared to the closely related Hainan rat hedgehog and the small rat hedgehog , the shrew urchin has a comparatively long tail, which makes up about 50% of the head-torso length. The ears are also comparatively long with around 15% of the body length.
| 3 | · | 1 | · | 3 | · | 3 | = 40 |
| 3 | · | 1 | · | 3 | · | 3 |
The dentition of the species consists of three incisors , one corner , three pre-grinding and three grinding teeth per jaw half, so a total of 44 teeth. The rostrum of the skull is short and there is a strong postorbital process above the eyes.
distribution and habitat
The shrew urchin is common in southern China in the provinces of Sichuan , Yunnan and Guizhou and in northern Myanmar and Vietnam . In the south of China the animals live allo- or parapatric to Hylomys suillus . Further distribution areas could be in northern Laos as well as in the extreme northeast of India , but so far there is no evidence from these regions.
Their habitat are higher forests from 300 to 2700 meters above sea level, in China, however, the altitude distribution is higher than that of Hylomys suillus and begins at around 1200 meters above sea level.
Way of life
Little is known about the way of life of the shrew urchin. Their habitat are moist mountain and mountain forests with dense undergrowth and soil cover in subtropical regions. The proximity to bodies of water may exist, but is not mandatory. Shrew hedgehogs are pure ground dwellers and are strictly nocturnal. During the day, they retreat to rock caves padded with leaves or hollow tree trunks. From the stomach contents of dead animals one concludes that earthworms and also plant material belong to their diet.
Little is known about reproduction, females with four embryos were found in April and August, which indicates either a long mating season or two litters per year.
Systematics
The shrew urchin is assigned as an independent species and monotypical genus to the rat urchins (Galericinae) within the hedgehogs (Erinaceidae). The animals are closely related to the small rat hedgehogs ( Hylomys ) and are sometimes placed in the same genus. In 1997 a fossil species was described with Neotetracus butleri , which was also classified in this genus.
While Wilson & Reeder did not differentiate between subspecies of the shrew urchin in 2005, Smith & Yan Xie found that N. s. cuttingi , N. p. fulvescens and N. s. sinensis three subspecies in China.
Hazard and protection
The species is listed as not endangered ( least concern ) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) due to its comparatively large distribution area . It is a regularly occurring species and there are no known threats to the population of the animals. The loss of suitable habitats could play a role as a potential threat to populations, but it is not known to what extent the species can adapt to anthropogenic changes in the habitat.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Shrew Gymnure. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie (Eds.): A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ et al. 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , pp. 296-297.
- ↑ a b c d e f Neotetracus sinensis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012.2. Posted by: D. Lunde, L. Ruedas, AT Smith, CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ↑ a b c Neotetracus sinensis . In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. 2 volumes. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
literature
- Shrew Gymnure. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie (Eds.): A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ et al. 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , pp. 296-297.
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Web links
- Neotetracus sinensis inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012.2. Posted by: D. Lunde, L. Ruedas, AT Smith, CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2013.