Erinaceomorpha
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Erinaceidae is a family in the order
Eulipotyphla Eulipotyphla (, from '' eu-'' + '' Lipotyphla'', meaning truly lacking blind gut; sometimes called true insectivores) is an order of mammals comprising the Erinaceidae ( hedgehogs and gymnures); Solenodontidae (solenodons); Talpidae ( mole ...
, consisting of the
hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. The ...
s and moonrats. Until recently, it was assigned to the order Erinaceomorpha, which has been subsumed with the
paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...
Soricomorpha Soricomorpha (from Greek "shrew-form") is a formerly used taxon within the class of mammals. In the past it formed a significant group within the former order Insectivora. However, Insectivora was shown to be polyphyletic and various new orders w ...
into Eulipotyphla. Eulipotyphla has been shown to be
monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...
; Soricomorpha is paraphyletic because both Soricidae and
Talpidae The family (biology), family Talpidae () includes the true Mole (animal), moles (as well as the shrew moles and desmans) who are small insectivore, insectivorous mammals of the order (biology), order Eulipotyphla. Talpids are all fossorial, diggi ...
share a more recent common ancestor with Erinaceidae than with solenodons. Erinaceidae contains the well-known
hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. The ...
s (subfamily
Erinaceinae A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. There ...
) of Eurasia and Africa and the gymnures or moonrats (subfamily Galericinae) of Southeast Asia. This family was once considered part of the order
Insectivora The Order (biology), order Insectivora (from Latin ''insectum'' "insect" and ''vorare'' "to eat") is a now-abandoned biological grouping within the class of mammals. Some species have now been moved out, leaving the remaining ones in the order ...
, but that
polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...
order is now considered defunct.


Characteristics

Erinaceids are generally
shrew Shrews ( family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to dif ...
-like in form, with long snouts and short tails. They are, however, much larger than shrews, ranging from in body length and in weight, in the case of the short-tailed gymnure, up to and in the moonrat. All but one species have five toes in each foot, in some cases with strong claws for digging, and they have large eyes and ears. Hedgehogs possess hair modified into sharp spines to form a protective covering over the upper body and flanks, while gymnures have only normal hair. Most species have anal
scent gland Scent gland are exocrine glands found in most mammals. They produce semi-viscous secretions which contain pheromones and other semiochemical compounds. These odor-messengers indicate information such as status, territorial marking, mood, and se ...
s, but these are far better developed in gymnures, which can have a powerful odor. Erinaceids are
omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize ...
, with the major part of their diet consisting of insects, earthworms, and other small
invertebrates Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordate subphylum ...
. They also eat seeds and fruit, and occasionally birds' eggs, along with any
carrion Carrion (), also known as a carcass, is the decaying flesh of dead animals. Overview Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures ...
they come across. Their teeth are sharp and suited for impaling invertebrate prey. The
dental formula Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiology ...
for erinaceids is: Hedgehogs are
nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...
, but gymnures are less so, and may be active during the day. Many species live in simple burrows, while others construct temporary nests on the surface from leaves and grass, or shelter in hollow logs or similar hiding places. Erinaceids are solitary animals outside the breeding season, and the father plays no role in raising the young. Female erinaceids give birth after a gestation period of around six to seven weeks. The young are born blind and hairless, although hedgehogs begin to sprout their spines within 36 hours of birth.


Evolution

Erinaceids are a group of
placental mammal Placental mammals ( infraclass Placentalia ) are one of the three extant subdivisions of the class Mammalia, the other two being Monotremata and Marsupialia. Placentalia contains the vast majority of extant mammals, which are partly distinguish ...
s that have retained many of their ancestral traits, having changed little since their origin in the
Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...
. The so-called 'giant hedgehog' (actually a gymnure) '' Deinogalerix'', from the
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
of Gargano Island (part of modern
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
), was the size of a large rabbit, and may have eaten vertebrate prey or carrion, rather than insects.


Classification

*Order Eulipotyphla **†Family Amphilemuridae ***†Genus '' Alsaticopithecus'' ***†Genus '' Amphilemur'' ***†Genus '' Gesneropithex'' ***†Genus '' Macrocranion'' ****†''Macrocranion germonpreae'' ****†''Macrocranion junnei'' ****†''Macrocranion nitens'' ****†''Macrocranion robinsoni'' ****†''Macrocranion tenerum'' ****†''Macrocranion vandebroeki'' ***†Genus '' Pholidocercus'' ****†''Pholidocercus hassiacus'' **Family Erinaceidae *** †Genus '' Silvacola'' ****†''Silvacola acares'' *** †Genus '' Oligoechinus'' *** Subfamily
Erinaceinae A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. There ...
**** †Genus ''
Amphechinus ''Amphechinus'' is an extinct genus of hedgehog of the family Erinaceidae, which lived in Asia and Europe during the Oligocene and in North America, Africa, Asia and Europe during the Miocene. The genus contains at least 14 species. It is classif ...
'' ***** †''Amphechinus akespensis'' ***** †''Amphechinus arverniensis'' ***** †''Amphechinus baudelotae'' ***** †''Amphechinus edwardsi'' ***** †''Amphechinus ginsburgi'' ***** †''Amphechinus golpeae'' ***** †''Amphechinus horncloudi'' ***** †''Amphechinus intermedius'' ***** †''Amphechinus kreuzae'' ***** †''Amphechinus major'' ***** †''Amphechinus microdus'' ***** †''Amphechinus minutissimus'' ***** †''Amphechinus robinsoni'' ***** †''Amphechinus taatsiingolensis'' **** Genus †'' Ladakhechinus'' ***** †''Ladakhechinus iugummontis'' **** Genus '' Atelerix'' ***** Four-toed hedgehog, ''Atelerix albiventris'' *****
North African hedgehog The North African hedgehog (''Atelerix algirus'') or Algerian hedgehog, is a mammal species in the family Erinaceidae native to Algeria, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia. Little is known about this hedgehog, even though the most common b ...
, ''Atelerix algirus'' ***** Southern African hedgehog, ''Atelerix frontalis'' ***** Somali hedgehog, ''Atelerix sclateri'' **** Genus '' Erinaceus'' ***** Amur hedgehog, ''Erinaceus amurensis'' ***** Southern white-breasted hedgehog, ''Erinaceus concolor'' *****
European hedgehog The European hedgehog (''Erinaceus europaeus''), also known as the West European hedgehog or common hedgehog, is a hedgehog species native to Europe from Iberia and Italy northwards into Scandinavia and westwards into the British Isles.Harris, S. ...
, ''Erinaceus europaeus'' ***** Northern white-breasted hedgehog, ''Erinaceus roumanicus'' **** Genus '' Hemiechinus'' ***** Long-eared hedgehog, ''Hemiechinus auritus'' ***** Indian long-eared hedgehog, ''Hemiechinus collaris'' **** Genus '' Mesechinus'' ***** Daurian hedgehog, ''Mesechinus dauuricus'' ***** Hugh's hedgehog, ''Mesechinus hughi'' ***** Gaoligong forest hedgehog, ''Mesechinus wangi'' ***** Small-toothed forest hedgehog, ''Mesechinus miodon'' **** Genus ''
Paraechinus ''Paraechinus'' is a genus of hedgehogs. Members are small and nocturnal. The genus contains four species from North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia: * Desert hedgehog (''Paraechinus aethiopicus'') * Brandt's hedgehog (''Paraechinus h ...
'' ***** Desert hedgehog, ''Paraechinus aethiopicus'' *****
Brandt's hedgehog Brandt's hedgehog (''Paraechinus hypomelas'') is a species of desert hedgehog native to parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. Its common name derives from its having first been described by Johann Friedrich von Brandt, a director of the Zoo ...
, ''Paraechinus hypomelas'' *****
Indian hedgehog The Indian hedgehog (''Paraechinus micropus'') is a species of hedgehog native to India and Pakistan. It mainly lives in sandy desert areas but can be found in other environments. Description The Indian hedgehog can be compared to the long-eare ...
, ''Paraechinus micropus '' ***** Bare-bellied hedgehog, ''Paraechinus nudiventris'' *** Subfamily Galericinae **** †Genus '' Deinogalerix'' ***** †''Deinogalerix brevirostris'' ***** †''Deinogalerix freudenthali'' ***** †''Deinogalerix intermedius'' ***** †''Deinogalerix koenigswaldi'' ***** †''Deinogalerix minor'' **** Genus '' Echinosorex'' ***** Moonrat, ''Echinosorex gymnura'' **** †Genus '' Galerix'' *****†''Galerix aurelianensis'' *****†''Galerix exilis'' *****†''Galerix kostakii'' *****†''Galerix remmerti'' *****†''Galerix rutlandae'' *****†''Galerix saratji'' *****†''Galerix stehlini'' *****†''Galerix symeonidisi'' *****†''Galerix uenayae'' **** Genus '' Hylomys'' ***** Long-eared gymnure, ''Hylomys megalotis'' ***** Dwarf gymnure, ''Hylomys parvus'' ***** Javan short-tailed gymnure or Lesser Moonrat, ''Hylomys suillus'' **** Genus '' Neohylomys'' ***** Hainan gymnure, ''Neonylomys hainanensis'' **** Genus '' Neotetracus'' ***** Shrew gymnure, ''Neotetracus sinensis'' **** Genus ''
Podogymnura ''Podogymnura'' is a genus of mammal in the family Erinaceidae. It contains the following species: * Dinagat moonrat (''Podogymnura aureospinula'') * Eastern Mindanao gymnure (''Podogymnura intermedia'') * ''Podogymnura minima'' * Mindanao gymnur ...
'' ***** Dinagat gymnure, ''Podogymnura aureospinula'' ***** Eastern Mindanao gymnure, ''Podogymnura intermedia'' *****
Mindanao gymnure ''Podogymnura truei'', also known as the Mindanao gymnure, Mindanao moonrat, or Mindanao wood shrew, is a mammal of the family Erinaceidae. It is endemic to the Mindanao islands of the Philippines. Erinaceidae is a family of small mammals that in ...
, ''Podogymnura truei''


References

{{Authority control Mammal families Extant Eocene first appearances Taxa named by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim