Gymnures, also called hairy hedgehogs or moonrats, are mammals belonging to the subfamily Galericinae, in the family Erinaceidae and the order Eulipotyphla. Gymnures resemble rats but are not closely related as they are not rodents; they are instead closely related to hedgehogs, which also belong to Erinaceidae. They are thought to have appeared in Eastern Asia before their closest relatives, and changed little from the original ancestor, which is thought to have been also the ancestor of the shrews.
Erinaceidae is a family in the order Eulipotyphla, consisting of the hedgehogs and moonrats. Until recently, it was assigned to the order Erinaceomorpha, which has been subsumed with the paraphyletic Soricomorpha into Eulipotyphla. Eulipotyphla has been shown to be monophyletic; Soricomorpha is paraphyletic because Soricidae shared a more recent common ancestor with Erinaceidae than with other soricomorphs.
Hylomys is a small genus of the family Erinaceidae. Hylomys species, like all species in the subfamily Galericinae, are known as gymnures or moonrats. Their closest relatives include the fossil Lantanotherium and Thaiagymnura and the living Neotetracus and Neohylomys. Members of this genus are found in Southeast Asia and Eastern Asia.
The Javan short-tailed gymnure is a small mammal from the family of the Erinaceidae. The scientific name of the species is first published by Salomon Müller in 1840. This species used to include the dorsalis, maxi, and peguensis subspecies, but these have now been elevated to species of their own: the Bornean short-tailed gymnure, Max's short-tailed gymnure, and the northern short-tailed gymnure. In addition, two new species were created from two other populations of H. suillus. The range of this species is now limited to Java.
The dwarf gymnure is a gymnure found only at Mount Kerinci, Sumatra, Indonesia. It is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a critically endangered species due to a restricted range.
The Hainan gymnure or Hainan moonrat is a species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It was thought to be endemic to the island of Hainan, China, where it is threatened due to habitat loss, but in 2018 was found to also occur in, and be rather common, in Northern Vietnam.
The shrew gymnure, or shrew hedgehog, is a species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae and is the only extant species in the genus Neotetracus. It is found in China, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
The Dinagat gymnure is a species of mammal in the family Erinaceidae. It is endemic to the Philippines.
Podogymnura is a genus of mammal in the family Erinaceidae. It contains the following species:
Podogymnura truei, also known as the Mindanao gymnure, Mindanao moonrat, or Mindanao wood shrew, is a mammal of the family Erinaceidae. It is endemic to the Mindanao islands of the Philippines. Erinaceidae is a family of small mammals that include the gymnures, also known as the silky furred moonrats, and the hedgehogs. Animals belonging to this family are significant because they are among the oldest known placental mammals that are alive. Gymnures are relatives of hedgehogs but lack the prickly spines. Four species are categorized in the genus Podogymnura: P. aureospinula, P. intermedia, P. minima, and P. truei. All share a close resemblance to the moonrat Echinosorex gymnura, which is commonly found on the Borneo, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsulas.
The long-eared gymnure is a eulipotyphlan that is found in Laos. This specific type of gymnure has long ears and a long skull compared to that of others. It is also recognized for its broad forefeet, stout claws, and naked hindfeet. While it was previously lumped in with the dwarf and short-tailed gymnures of the genus Hylomys, it is now placed in its own genus Otohylomys.
Max's short-tailed gymnure is a gymnure that lives in Malaysia and Indonesia. It was previously recognized as a subspecies of H. suillus, but now is regarded as a full species.
The Dalat gymnure is a gymnure that was described formally for the first time in 2023. It is known from Dalat, Vietnam. The specific name 'macarong,' derived from the Vietnamese word for vampire, 'Ma cà rồng,' as a tribute to the prominent long fangs, specifically the first upper incisors, that distinguish mature males of this species.
The Leuser gymnure is a gymnure from the island of Sumatra in Indonesia that was described formally for the first time in 2023. The holotype was collected in 1939 by Frederick A. Ulmer in the upper parts of Gunung Leuser, Sumatra. It is only known from 2,073 to 2,835 m above sea level on Gunung Leuser. Its specific name derives from its voracious behavior described by F. Ulmer. Mitochondrial DNA analysis differentiates this species from Hylomys parvus, inhabiting similar mountain forests in Gunung Kerinci, on the same island of Sumatra, and from Hylomys maxi, a congeneric species inhabiting lower areas.
The northern short-tailed gymnure is a gymnure in China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and peninsular Malaysia. It was previously recognized as a subspecies of H. suillus, but now is regarded as a full species.
Short-tailed gymnure can refer to any of these species:
