NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Gaoligong Forest Hedgehog
Mesechinus wangi He, Jiang Xuelong & Ai Huaisen, 2018
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Gaoligong forest hedgehog (Mesechinus wangi) or Wang's forest hedgehog is a species of hedgehog in the family Erinaceidae found only in China. It is endemic to the slopes of Mt. Gaoligong in the Yunnan Province, where it lives in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest at elevations between 2,200 and 2,680 m (7,220 and 8,790 ft). This distribution is disjunct from that of the other species in this genus.
M. wangi can be distinguished from other species in the genus by its spine color patterns, the broad nasal region, and the presence of M4 teeth. It hibernates between mid-October and early April. While the population size has not yet been quantified, it is likely very small as the species has only been found in the Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve.
Wikipedia contributors, Gaoligong forest hedgehog; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:02:50.693223+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mesechinus wangi He, Jiang Xuelong & Ai Huaisen, 2018
- Name authority
- He, Jiang Xuelong & Ai Huaisen, 2018
- Common name
- Gaoligong Forest Hedgehog
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Eulipotyphla
- Family
- Erinaceidae
- Genus
- Mesechinus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderEulipotyphla Waddell, Okada & Hasegawa, 1999
- familyErinaceidae G. Fischer, 1814
- subfamilyErinaceinae G. Fischer, 1814
- genusMesechinus Ognev, 1951
- speciesMesechinus wangi He, Jiang Xuelong & Ai Huaisen, 2018
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Mesechinus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Small-toothed Forest HedgehogMesechinus miodon (Thomas, 1908) | ErinaceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eastern Forest HedgehogMesechinus orientalis Shi, Yao, K. He, Bai, J. Zhou, J. Fan, W. Su, W. Nie, S. Yang, Onditi, X. Jian & Z. Chen, 2023 | ErinaceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Daurian HedgehogMesechinus dauuricus (Sundevall, 1842) | ErinaceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hugh's Forest HedgehogMesechinus hughi (Thomas, 1908) | ErinaceidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Ai, Huai-Sen, Kai He, Zhong-Zheng Chen, Jia-Qi Li, Tao Wan, Quan Li, Wen-Hui Nie, et al. (2018). Taxonomic revision of the genus Mesechinus (Mammalia: Erinaceidae) with description of a new species. Zoological Research, Vol. 39, No. 5. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:CG4VX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.