New materials of Exallerix pustulatus (Erinaceidae, Eulipotyphla) from Nei Mongol and other Brachyericinae of China Vertebrata Palasiatica    2025, 63 (4): 335-349.   DOI: 10.19615/j.cnki.2096-9899.250910

Fig. 1 Geological historical distribution of short-faced hedgehogs in the world
For data and source references see Supplementary data 1

Extracts from the Article

In 1924, Matthew described and named the first species of short-faced hedgehog based on material from the Snake Creek Fauna of Nebraska, USA (Matthew, 1924). However, it was initially misclassified within Talpa of the family Talpidae. In 1929, Matthew described Metechinus nevadensis from Nevada, USA, and this study correctly identified its affinities with the Erinaceidae (Matthew, 1929). Subsequently, short-faced hedgehogs were repeatedly reported from North America (Matthew and Mook, 1933; Meade, 1941; Stevens, 1977; Martin and Lim, 2004). It was not until 1967 that McKenna and Holton formally recognized the Brachyericinae as an independent subfamily, placing it on equal footing with the Erinaceinae and the Hylomyinae (sometimes referred to as Echinosoricinae or Galericinae), during their study of Exallerix hsandagolensis collected from the Hsanda Gol Formation in Mongolia by the Third Asiatic Expedition (McKenna and Holton, 1967). From 1971 onward, Rich and colleagues carried out systematic reviews of short-faced hedgehogs in North America (Rich and Rich, 1971; Rich, 1981). Since 1996, Lopatin and his collaborators have described and named several new genera and species of short-faced hedgehogs from Kazakhstan and Mongolia, providing a preliminary synthesis of the Asian record (Lopatin, 1996, 2020; Lopatin and Zazhigin, 2003). They also suggested that some European specimens may belong to the Brachyericinae (Ziegler, 1990; Lopatin and Zazhigin, 2003), although this interpretation remains controversial and is not yet widely accepted. In 2007, Ziegler et al. studied new materials of short-faced hedgehogs (Exallerix pustulatus and Exallerix sp.) from the Valley of Lakes in Mongolia (Ziegler et al., 2007) (Fig. 1).

In China, Qiu and Gu described and named the first short-faced hedgehog species in 1988: Metexallerix gaolanshanensis from Lanzhou, Gansu Province. They rejected any close phylogenetic relationship between short-faced hedgehogs and Dimylechinus, a genus known from the Early Miocene of Europe (Qiu and Gu, 1988). In 1996, Meng et al. reported the discovery of short-faced hedgehogs (Metexallerix? sp.) from Gashunyin Adege in Nei Mongol (Meng et al., 1996). In 1999, Bi described another new species (M. junggarensis) from the Suosuoquan Formation in the Junggar Basin of Xinjiang (Bi, 1999). In 2011, Zhang et al. documented additional occurrences of M. gaolanshanensis from Siziwang Banner in Nei Mongol (Zhang et al., 2011; Kaakinen et al., 2015; Sukselainen et al., 2017). Most recently, in 2021, Li and Li examined newly collected specimens along with two previously undetermined species from several Lower Miocene localities in Nei Mongol (Li and Li, 2021) (Fig. 1).

Other Images/Table from this Article

• Fig. 2  Exallerix pustulatus from IM 2204, Nei Mongol inlateral (1) and occlusal (2) views A. left mandibular fragment with p4-m1 (IVPP V34183.1); B. left mandibular fragment with m1-2 (V34183.2); C. left mandibular fragment with m1-2 (V34183.3); D. left mandibular fragment with trigonid of m1 and m2 (V34183.4); E. right mandibular fragment with i1, p4-m1 (V34183.5); F. right mandibular fragment with m1 (V34183.6)
• Table 1  Measurement of Exallerix pustulatus from IM 2204, Nei Mongol (mm)
• Fig. 3  CT graphs of mandibular fragment of Exallerix pustulatus (IVPP V34183.2) A. transverse plane, through anterior root of the m1, anterior view; B. sagittal plane, lateral view, the white dashed line shows the alveolus of the i1
• Fig. 4  Comparison measurements of the m1 of Exallerix pustulatus with other short-faced hedgehogs For data and source references see Supplementary data 2
• Fig. 5  Statistics and comparison measurements of m1 of Exallerix pustulatus with other short-faced hedgehogs n: number of samples. Data and source references see Supplementary data 2
• Fig. 6  Statistics and comparison measurements of the m1 and m2 of Exallerix pustulatus with other short-faced hedgehogs n: number of samples. For data and source references see Supplementary data 2