Manis mysteria

Manis mysteria, the cryptic pangolin, is a pangolin in the family Manidae that is native to an unknown location within Asia.^[1] It is only known from partial specimens and the species has never been observed alive.^[2]

Manis mysteria Temporal range: 5–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Known scales belonging to M. mysteria
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Pholidota
Family:	Manidae
Genus:	Manis
Species:	M. mysteria
Binomial name
Manis mysteria Tong-Tong et al., 2023

Discovery and naming

Manis mysteria is known from twenty-seven scales confiscated in 2012 and 2013 in Hong Kong,^[3] and a further six scales confiscated during 2015 and 2019 in Yunnan, China.^[2]

The scales were first identified as belonging to a new pangolin species by Zhang (2015), who identified a genotype lineage which could not be identified as belonging to any of the Asian pangolin species known at the time.^[3]

Tong-Tong (2023) described the scales and assigned them to the a new species named Manis mysteria.^[2]

Distribution and habitat

Because Manis mysteria is only known from confiscated scales, its distribution across Asia remains unknown until live specimens are found.^[2]

Conservation

It is probably critically endangered because the species has a low genetic diversity and high levels of inbreeding.^[1]

Manis mysteria, much like every other species of pangolin, is considered critically endangered due to how sought after they are to hunters. Other than the meat, which is a delicacy in certain Asian cultures, Manis mysteria is almost certainly hunted for its scales, organs, and skin, which are used in traditional medicine.^[4][5]