Manis mysteria, the cryptic pangolin, is a pangolin in the family Manidae that is native to an unknown location within Asia.[1] It is only known from partial specimens and the species has never been observed alive.[2]
Manis mysteria is known from twenty-seven scales confiscated in 2012 and 2013 in Hong Kong,[3] and a further six scales confiscated during 2015 and 2019 in Yunnan, China.[2]
The scales were first identified as belonging to a new pangolin species by Zhang (2015), who identified a genotype lineage which could not be identified as belonging to any of the Asian pangolin species known at the time.[3]
Tong-Tong (2023) described the scales and assigned them to the a new species named Manis mysteria.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Because Manis mysteria is only known from confiscated scales, its distribution across Asia remains unknown until live specimens are found.[2]
Conservation
It is probably critically endangered because the species has a low genetic diversity and high levels of inbreeding.[1]
Manis mysteria, much like every other species of pangolin, is considered critically endangered due to how sought after they are to hunters. Other than the meat, which is a delicacy in certain Asian cultures, Manis mysteria is almost certainly hunted for its scales, organs, and skin, which are used in traditional medicine.[4][5]
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