A broadly distributed species instead of an insular endemic? A new find of the poorly known Hainan gymnure (Mammalia, Lipotyphla).

Alexei V Abramov,Viatcheslav V Rozhnov,Anna A Bannikova,Vladimir S Lebedev

doi:10.3897/zookeys.795.28218

Abstract

The Hainan gymnure Neohylomyshainanensis (Mammalia, Lipotyphla), endemic to Hainan Island (China), is one of the rarest and least-known species within the family Galericidae. The IUCN Red List inferred it as an endangered species due to ongoing population decline caused by natural habitat loss. A recent biodiversity survey has revealed N.hainanensis to be rather common in northern Vietnam. This is the first record of the species outside Hainan Island. New data have allowed us to re-assess the conservation status of this poorly known mammal. The occurrence of N.hainanensis in mainland Vietnam also supports the hypothesis that Hainan Island could have been previously connected to Guangxi and northern Vietnam rather than to neighbouring Guangdong.

Highlights

The family Galericidae (Mammalia, Lipotyphla) comprises six recent genera and 8–10 species of gymnures and moonrats inhabiting tropical and subtropical forests of southern China and SE Asia, including the Philippines and the Sunda Islands (Hutterer 2005, Bannikova et al 2014)
During the 2018 small mammal surveys conducted by the Joint Vietnamese-Russian Tropical Research and Technological Centre in northern Vietnam, five specimens of small gymnures were collected in Cao Bang Province, approximately 22°37'41"N, 105°54'41"E, at elevation 300–700 m a.s.l. (Figure 1)
A morphological analysis of Vietnamese specimens has revealed their identity as N. hainanensis

Summary

Introduction

The family Galericidae (Mammalia, Lipotyphla) comprises six recent genera and 8–10 species of gymnures and moonrats inhabiting tropical and subtropical forests of southern China and SE Asia, including the Philippines and the Sunda Islands (Hutterer 2005, Bannikova et al 2014). During the 2018 small mammal surveys conducted by the Joint Vietnamese-Russian Tropical Research and Technological Centre in northern Vietnam, five specimens of small gymnures were collected in Cao Bang Province, approximately 22°37'41"N, 105°54'41"E, at elevation 300–700 m a.s.l. All specimens were obtained from local villagers during studies of rodent distribution and pest control.

Results

Conclusion