Mesechinus dawuricus, Ognev, 1951

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Erinaceidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 288-330 : 327

17.

Daurian Hedgehog

Mesechinus dawuricus

French: Hérisson de Daourie / German: Daurischer Igel / Spanish: Erizo del Gobi

Taxonomy. Erinaceus dauuricus Sundevall, 1842 ,

“Dauuria.” Interpreted by D. R.

Frost and colleagues in 1991 as “[former]

U.S.S.R., Transbaikalia, Dauryia, 49°57’N, 116°55°E,” Russia. This species is monotypic.

Distribution. SE Siberia & SW Russian Far East (Transbaikalia E to upper Amur Basin), C & E Mongolia, and NC, NE & C {China.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 241-267 mm, tail 26-34 mm, ear 18-21 mm, hindfoot 41-44 mm; weight 1.1-1 kg. Ears of the Daurian Hedgehog are moderately long, with slightly coarse fur, and they extend a little beyond adjacent spines. Dorsal pelage has spines that are 19-23 mm long. Spines are dark brown at bases, dull whitish for nearly one-half their lengths, with brownish black bands and 3-5mm white tips. Ventral fur is rather coarse, underparts are whitish, and feet and tail are chestnut-brown. Dental formulais13/2,C1/1,P3/2,M 3/3 (x2) = 36. Chromosomal complement has 2n = 44-48 and FN = 87-95.

Habitat. Semiarid habitats including grasslands, with shrubs and herbaceous plants, and dry mountain and wooded steppes. In Mongolia, the Daurian Hedgehog occupies rocky outcrops and low-density shrub habitats and avoids areas with high densities of shrubs. Habitats occupied change between early and late summer, shifting to greater use oflow-density shrub areas and decreased use of forb-dominated short grassy areas.

Food and Feeding. The Daurian Hedgehog feeds on insects, especially beetles, cockroaches, and grasshoppers, many other invertebrates, and small vertebrates including rodents, snakes, frogs, and eggs of ground-nesting birds.

Breeding. The Daurian Hedgehog mates in mid-May after emergence from hibernation. Gestation lasts 35-40 days; 3-7 young are born in June-July.

Activity patterns. The Daurian Hedgehog is terrestrial and digs its own burrows or uses those of other small mammals. Burrows, crevices in rocks, and caves are used as shelters and places to hibernate in winter. Daytime shelters have one, rarely two, entrances and usually are in rocky outcrops or at bases of shrubs.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In Mongolia, home ranges were 113-2172 ha and were larger in early summer than late summer. Nightly movements averaged 3-4 km (range 0-3-12-2 km). The Daurian Hedgehog selects level terrain and areas with shrubs, specifically wild apricots (Amygdalus pedunculata, Rosaceae ). It probably forages around wild apricots because they support higher densities of insects, and level areas might be used to reduce energetic costs of foraging. Actual foraging paths of the Daurian Hedgehog have high diversities of shrubs, abundance of wild apricots, and low diversities of grasses, other herbaceous species, and Artemisia (Asteraceae) .

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Loss of habitat through increased mining activities and grazing by increasing numbers oflivestock probably degrade habitats of the Daurian Hedgehog. Occasional vehicular mortality constitutes a low-level threat. Poisoning of plague carriers, including hedgehogs, is not conducted on a large scale, butit still occurs locally.

Bibliography. Allen (1938), Batsaikhan et al. (2010), Beer (2003), Corbet (1988), Frost et al. (1991), Hutterer (2005a), Kong Fei, Guo Jianmin & Wu Jiayan (2016), Kong Fei, Wu Jiayan & Guo Jianmin (2016a, 2016b), Kong Fei, Wu Jiayan, Guo Jianmin & Wu Xiaomin (2016a, 2016b), Korablev et al. (1996), Mallon (1985), Murdoch et al. (2006), Nowak (1999), Ognev (1928), Reading et al. (2010), Reeve (1994), Smith & Yan Xie (2013), Stone (1995b), Sundevall (1842), Thomas (1908b), Zapletal et al. (2012, 2015).

Figures

1. West European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), 2. Northern White-breasted Hedgehog (Erimaceus roumanicus), 3. Southern White-breasted Hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor), 4. Amur Hedgehog (Erinaceus amurensis), 5. North African Hedgehog (Atelerix algirus), 6. Four-toed Hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris), 7. Somali Hedgehog (Atelerix sclateri), 8. Southern African Hedgehog (Atelerix frontalis), 9. Desert Hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus), 10. Brandt's Hedgehog (Paraechinus hypomelas), 11. Indian Hedgehog (Paraechinus micropus), 12. Bare-bellied Hedgehog (Paraechinus nudiventris), 13. Common Long-eared Hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus), 14. Indian Long-eared Hedgehog (Hemiechinus collaris), 15. Wang's Forest Hedgehog (Mesechinus wangi), 16. Small-toothed Forest Hedgehog (Mesechinus miodon), 17. Daurian Hedgehog (Mesechinus dawuricus), 18. Hugh's Hedgehog (Mesechinus hughi), 19. Long-eared Gymnure (Hylomys megalotis), 20. Dwarf Gymnure (Hylomys parvus), 21. Short-tailed Gymnure (Hylomys suillus), 22. Moonrat (Echinosorex gymnurus), 23. Shrew Gymnure (Neotetracus sinensis), 24. Hainan Gymnure (Neohylomys hainanensis), 25. Mindanao Gymnure (Podogymnura truei), 26. Dinagat Gymnure (Podogymnura aureospinula)

Distribution. SE Siberia & SW Russian Far East (Transbaikalia E to upper Amur Basin), C & E Mongolia, and NC, NE & C {China.