| Paraechinus | |
|---|---|
| |
| P. aethiopicus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Erinaceidae |
| Subfamily: | Erinaceinae |
| Genus: | Paraechinus Trouessart, 1879 |
| Type species | |
| Erinaceus micropus Blyth, 1846
| |
| Species | |
Paraechinus is a genus of hedgehogs. Members are small and nocturnal. The genus contains four species from North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia:1
- Desert hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus)
- Brandt's hedgehog (Paraechinus hypomelas)
- Indian hedgehog (Paraechinus micropus)
- Bare-bellied hedgehog (Paraechinus nudiventris)
Locomotory activity patterns
The locomotory activity of the Desert hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus) occurred during the dark phases of both long and short day cycles. Therefore this species is considered nocturnal.2
The Paraechinus hypomelas hypomelas is distributed throughout mainland Iran to the western side of the Indus River in Pakistan, suggesting the presence of a single subspecies Paraechinus hypomelas niger from the entire Arabian Peninsula. Paraechinus hypomelas blanfordi could potentially be considered a new sub-species because it deviates from the rest of them.3
References
References
- Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- Alagaili, A. N.; Bennett, N. C.; Amor, N. M.; Hart, D. W. (2020-06-01). "The locomotory activity patterns of the arid-dwelling desert hedgehog, Paraechinus aethiopicus, from Saudi Arabia". Journal of Arid Environments. 177 104141. doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2020.104141. ISSN 0140-1963. S2CID 213782014.
- Yusefi, Gholam Hosein; Kiabi, Bahram H.; Khalatbari, Leili; Faizolahi, Kaveh; Monteiro, Nuno Miguel (2016-10-01). "Morphological analysis of Brandt's hedgehog (Paraechinus hypomelas) reflects the isolation history of Persian Gulf islands and has implications for taxonomy". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 119 (2): 497–510. doi:10.1111/bij.12842. ISSN 0024-4066.