Zeng Ying, He Kai, Chen Xing, Bai Weipeng, Lin Hongzhou, Chen Jianhai, Nedyalkov Nedko, Yamaguchi Nobuyuki, Vijayan Keerthy, Suganthasakthivel Ramamoorthy, Kumar Brawin, Han Yuqing, Chen Zhongzheng, Wang Wenzhi, Liu Yang
State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
Key Laboratory of Conservation and Application in Biodiversity of South China, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China.
Integr Zool. 2024 Oct 6. doi: 10.1111/1749-4877.12909.
The family Erinaceidae encompasses 27 extant species in two subfamilies: Erinaceinae, which includes spiny hedgehogs, and Galericinae, which comprises silky-furred gymnures and moonrats. Although they are commonly recognized by the general public, their phylogenetic history remains incompletely understood, and several species have never been included in any molecular analyses. Additionally, previous research suggested that the species diversity of Erinaceidae might be underestimated. In this study, we sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of 29 individuals representing 18 erinaceid species using 18 freshly collected tissue and 11 historical museum specimens. We also integrated previously published data for a concatenated analysis. We aimed to elucidate the evolutionary relationships within Erinaceidae, estimate divergence times, and uncover potential underestimated species diversity. Our data finely resolved intergeneric and interspecific relationships and presented the first molecular evidence for the phylogenetic position of Mesechinus wangi, Paraechinus micropus, and P. nudiventris. Our results revealed a sister relationship between Neotetracus and Neohylomys gymnures, as well as a sister relationship between Hemiechinus and Mesechinus, supporting previous hypotheses. Additionally, our findings provided a novel phylogenetic position for Paraechinus aethiopicus, placing it in a basal position within the genus. Furthermore, our study uncovered cryptic species diversity within Hylomys suillus as well as in Neotetracus sinensis, Atelerix albiventris, P. aethiopicus, and Hemiechinus auratus, most of which have been previously overlooked.
猬科包含两个亚科的27个现存物种：刺猬亚科，包括多刺刺猬；毛猬亚科，包括毛质柔滑的毛猬和地鼠猬。尽管它们为公众所熟知，但其系统发育历史仍未完全明晰，且有几个物种从未被纳入任何分子分析。此外，先前的研究表明猬科的物种多样性可能被低估。在本研究中，我们对代表18种猬科物种的29个个体的线粒体基因组进行了测序，使用了18份新采集的组织样本和11份历史博物馆标本。我们还整合了先前发表的数据进行联合分析。我们旨在阐明猬科内部的进化关系，估计分歧时间，并揭示潜在被低估的物种多样性。我们的数据精确解析了属间和种间关系，并为王氏刺猬、小毛刺猬和裸腹刺猬的系统发育位置提供了首个分子证据。我们的结果揭示了新毛猬属和裸足猬属之间的姐妹关系，以及刺猬属和林猬属之间的姐妹关系，支持了先前的假说。此外，我们的研究结果为埃塞俄比亚刺猬提供了一个新的系统发育位置，将其置于该属的基部位置。此外，我们的研究还发现了猪毛猬、中华新毛猬、北非刺猬、埃塞俄比亚刺猬和刺猬中存在隐存物种多样性，其中大部分此前都被忽视了。
