Hainan gymnure

The Hainan gymnure (Neohylomys hainanensis), also known as the Hainan moonrat, is a species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It was thought to be endemic to the island of Hainan, China, where it is threatened due to habitat loss, but in 2018 was found to also occur in, and be rather common, in Northern Vietnam.^[2]

Hainan gymnure
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Erinaceidae
Subfamily:	Galericinae
Genus:	Neohylomys Shaw and Wong, 1959
Species:	N. hainanensis
Binomial name
Neohylomys hainanensis Shaw & Wong, 1959
Hainan gymnure range

The Hainan gymnure is the only species in the monotypic genus Neohylomys. Although previously considered part of the genus Hylomys, gene sequencing of a mitochondrial cytochrome b gene provided evidence that the species is sufficiently distantly related to comprise a genus of its own.^[3]

Description

Hainan gymnures have olive-brown fur with a longitudinal black line on the anterior midback. The species is small, with a length of 15 to 16 centimeters. The tail makes up approximately 26.3% of this length.^[4]

See also

• List of endangered and protected species of China