2025/01/14 by Kai He, Ying Zeng, Xing Chen +12 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Amphibian and Reptile Biology #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Plant and animal studies
paper · doi:10.1111/1749-4877.12950
openalex publication_date 2025/01/14 · openalex created_date 2025/01/16 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
The genus Hylomys now comprises seven species instead of two; the Hylomys species in China should be classified as Hylomys peguensis. In Zeng et al. (2024), we employed mitochondrial genome sequencing to investigate the evolutionary history and cryptic diversity within the Erinaceidae family. Our phylogenetic analyses revealed widespread cryptic diversity, particularly within the genus Hylomys of the subfamily Galericinae. This study proposed that several Hylomys subspecies likely merit full species status and identified two potentially unrecognized subspecies: Hylomys suillus ssp.1 and H. suillus ssp.2 (Figures 1–3 in Zeng et al. 2024). However, Zeng et al.’s literature review inadvertently overlooked a significant study published recently by Hinckley et al. (2024). In their work, Hinckley et al. conducted a comprehensive taxonomic revision of Hylomys from Southeast Asia, employing phylogenetic estimation using both mitochondrial genomes and nuclear genes, as well as morphometric analyses. Their work resulted in the description of two new species (H. macarong sp. nov. and H. vorax sp. nov.) and the elevation of three subspecies to full species status (H. dorsalis, H. maxi, and H. peguensis). To address this oversight and ensure accurate and transparent taxonomic assignments, we performed a phylogenetic analysis integrating our data (GenBank accessions OP654703-OP654730) with that of Hinckley et al. (2024) (GenBank accessions: OR138079-OR13102) and other available Hylomys mitogenomes from GenBank. We focused on the two rRNA genes and 12 protein-coding genes on the heavy strand, realigning the sequences using MAFFT to produce a final alignment of 13 503 bp. A maximum likelihood analysis was conducted on this partitioned dataset using RAxML-NG. The resulting phylogeny (Figure 1) largely corroborates the findings of both Hinckley et al. (2024) and Zeng et al. (2024). The sole discrepancy lies in the position of H. maxi, which our analysis places as sister to a clade comprising H. dorsalis and H. vorax (bootstrap support = 0.97), whereas Hinckley et al. (2024) found H. maxi to be sister to H. vorax (bootstrap support = 89). The short branch lengths separating these three lineages suggest a rapid diversification scenario, though the relationships among these three taxa require further re-examination using genomic-scaled data. Given the congruence between our phylogenetic results and those of Hinckley et al. (2024), we can confidently assign our sequenced specimens to the taxa recognized in their study. Notably, H. vorax sp. nov., described by Hinckley et al. from Aceh, Sumatra, was not represented in Zeng et al. (2024)’s sampling. Similarly, H. parvus, H. maxi, and H. dorsalis were absent from our mitogenome gene tree but were included in our concatenated gene matrix (CGM) analysis through the incorporation of short cytochrome b sequences from GenBank. Importantly, we can now assign our specimen from Lam Dong, Fyan, southern Vietnam (USNM:320501), previously considered as H. suillus ssp.2, to H. macarong sp. nov. Additionally, our H. suillus ssp.1 represented by a specimen from Southern Yunnan (KIZ:1207008), along with two specimens previously assigned to H. suillus microtinus, can be confidently attributed to H. peguensis. Hinckley et al. (2024) retained siamensis and microtinus as subspecies of H. peguensis due to overlapping craniodental morphospaces. This species exhibits the broadest geographic distribution among its congeners, in the Indochina Peninsula from southern Yunnan to the north of the Kangar-Pattani Line, except for southern Vietnam where H. macarong is found. The deep intraspecific divergences observed in the mitochondrial genome, coupled with relatively conserved craniodental morphology, suggest the presence of cryptic diversity within H. peguensis. Previous phylogeographic studies focusing on the Indochina Peninsula revealed different geographic structuring patterns in various taxa (Dejtaradol et al. 2015; Evgenievich Balakirev, Abramov, and Rozhnov 2017; Hinckley et al. 2023; Huang et al. 2023; Jeratthitikul et al. 2022; Klabacka et al. 2020). This heterogeneity suggests a complex interplay of topographic and climatic forces, varying in their relative importance from Miocene to Pleistocene in shaping the diversification of different taxa. As such, the diversification of H. peguensis has likely experienced a complex and unique evolutionary history. In conclusion, we acknowledge and accept Hinckley et al. (2024)’s taxonomic revision. In this premise, we acknowledge their priority and authority for all proposed taxa. This revision has increased the total number of extant erinaceid species to 33, with all Hylomys populations in China now recognized as H. peguensis (Table S1). While we concur with Hinckley et al. (2024) regarding the current taxonomic status of H. peguensis, we emphasize that this species complex warrants further investigation due to its wide geographic distribution and cryptic diversity. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.