Dalat gymnure

The Dalat gymnure (Hylomys macarong) is a gymnure that was described formally for the first time in 2023. It is known from Dalat, Vietnam.^[1][2] The specific name macarong derived from the Vietnamese word for vampire, Ma cà rồng, as a tribute to the prominent long fangs, specifically the first upper incisors, that distinguish mature males of this species.^[1]

Dalat gymnure
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Erinaceidae
Genus:	Hylomys
Species:	H. macarong
Binomial name
Hylomys macarong Hinckley, Lunde, & Hawkins, 2023

Discovery and taxonomy

The Dalat gymnure was described as a member of the genus Hylomys, part of the subfamily Galericinae that includes the gymnures and moonrats, in a 2023 study led by National Museum of Natural History researcher Arlo Hinckley. The new species was identified through analysis of DNA and physical characteristics.^[3] The study placed H. macarong as closely related to the northern short-tailed gymnure (Hylomys peguensis).^[1] The specific name, macarong, was derived from the Vietnamese word for vampire, Ma cà rồng.^[4] It was noted that several specimens belonging to the species had been in museum collections since 1961.^[3]

Description

The Dalat gymnure is a medium-sized gymnure, having average head and body length of 138.4 millimetres (5.45 in). Males have rusty-coloured chest fur, and all individuals lack the white colour around the rim of the ear present in the northern short-tailed gymnure.^[1] It has dark brown fur on most of its body and long, pointed incisors that have as of yet unclear purpose, though it is speculated that they play a part in sexual selection, as the incisors of males are generally larger.^[3]