Museum specimens shedding light on the evolutionary history and cryptic diversity of the hedgehog family Erinaceidae.

The family Erinaceidae encompasses 27 extant species in two subfamilies: Erinaceinae, which includes spiny hedgehogs, and Galericinae, which comprises silky-furred gymnures and moonrats. Although they are commonly recognized by the general public, their phylogenetic history remains incompletely understood, and several species have never been included in any molecular analyses. Additionally, previous research suggested that the species diversity of Erinaceidae might be underestimated.

A new species of forest hedgehog (, Erinaceidae, Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) from eastern China.

The hedgehog genus (Erinaceidae, Eulipotyphla) is currently comprised of four species, , , , and . Except for , which is found in southwestern China, the other three species are mainly distributed in northern China and adjacent Mongolia and Russia. From 2018 to 2023, we collected seven specimens from Anhui and Zhejiang provinces, eastern China.