Echinops telfairi, Martin, 1838

Russell A. Mittermeier & Don E. Wilson, 2018, Tenrecidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 8 Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 134-172 : 163

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Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec

Echinops telfairi

French: Petit Tenrec-hérisson / German: Kleiner Igeltenrek / Spanish: Tenrec erizo menor Other common names: Lesser Madagascar Tenrec

Taxonomy. Echinops telfairi Martin, 1838 ,

“Madagascar?”

Echinops telfairi is considered to form a clade with Setifer setosus based on morphology and molecular studies. Monotypic.

Distribution. W, SW & SE Madagascar, mainly S of Tsiribihina River.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 104-165 mm, tail 13 mm, ear 16-25 mm, hindfoot 16-21 mm; weight 50-95 g. Crown of head and dorsal and lateral surfaces of body of the Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec are covered with dense, sharp, 10-12mm spines. Individuals vary from very pale to very dark; some spines can be dark over most of the length, light at tips, or dark for the entire length; no noticeable underfur is evident. Ventral surface, head, and limbs are covered with short, slightly bristly, light buffy hair. Ears are prominent. Dental formula is 2/2, C1/1,P 3/3, M 2/2 (x2) = 32.

Habitat. Humid to sub-humid, dry, and dry spiny forests, open woodland, and degraded habitat from near sea level to elevations of 1300 m. The Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec occupies arboreal microhabitats.

Food and Feeding. Captive Lesser Hedgehog Tenrecs eat species of Orthoptera and Annelida and occasionally frogs.

Breeding. Lesser Hedgehog Tenrecs go through torpor for 3-5 months during cold season and begin mating when they emerge, usually in October. Gestation lasts 50-60 days, 61-64 days, or 62-68 days. Young are usually born in wet season when prey is most abundant. Litters have 1-6 young (4-5 embryos observed in wild specimens). Young are born nearly naked, with eyes and auditory meatus closed; eyes open at 7-9 days old; auditory meatus open at 14-16 days; and weaning begins at 18-23 days. Young begin to forage outside their nests with their mothers when they are c.3 weeks old, continuing to 4-5 weeks old.

Activity patterns. The Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec is nocturnal, arboreal, and terrestrial. It shows daily and seasonal torpidity. Daily cycle includes gradual decline in body temperature and breathing rate to minima before noon, and they gradually increase to maxima at midnight. Lesser Hedgehog Tenrecs spend the day in nests of leaves and dead grasses in cavities oftree trunks and limbs, under logs, or at bases of trees, leaving the nest in early evening to forage. They enter torpor in winter.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Lesser Hedgehog Tenrecs are generally solitary when observed foraging in the wild, but they are apparently slightly socially tolerant; up to two individuals have been found together during seasonal torpor. Encounters in captivity between two males either led to mutual avoidance or fighting, which can be very aggressive. Scent marking occurs with deposition of feces and urine in specific places, and individuals drag their perineal regions across substrates when exploring new areas.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec presumably has a large overall, stable population and wide distribution. It occurs in protected areas and is tolerant of some habitat modification.

Bibliography. Asher & Hofreiter (2006), Eibl-Eibesfeldt (1965), Eisenberg & Gould (1970), Everson et al. (2016), Goodman, Jenkins & Pidgeon (1999), Goodman, Soarimalala et al. (2013), Gould (1965), Gould & Eisenberg (1966), Herter (1962), Lovegrove & Génin (2008), Oelkrug et al. (2013), Olson & Goodman (2003), Poppitt et al. (1994), Poux, Madsen, Glos et al. (2008), Poux, Madsen, Marquard et al. (2005), Salton & Sargis (2008a, 2008b, 2009), Soarimalala & Goodman (2011), Stephenson, Racey & Rakotondraparany (1994), Stephenson, Soarimalala & Goodman (20164).

Figures

1. Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec (Echinops telfairi), 2. Greater Hedgehog Tenrec (Setifer setosus), 3. Tailless Tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus), 4. Lowland Streaked Tenrec (Hemacenteles semispinosus), 5. Highland Streaked Tenrec (Hemicentetes nigriceps), 6. Large-eared Tenrec (Geogale aurita), 7. Mole-like Rice Tenrec (Oryzorictes hova), 8. Four-toed Rice Tenrec (Oryzorictes tetradactylus), 9. Dobson’s Shrew Tenrec (Nesogale dobsoni), 10. Talazac’s Shrew Tenrec (Nesogale talazact), 11. Montane Shrew Tenrec (Macrogale monticola), 12. Dryad Shrew Tenrec (Microgale dryas), 13. Short-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale brevicaudata), 14. Pygmy Shrew Tenrec (Microgale parvula), 15. Lesser Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Mucrogale longicaudata), 16. Drouhard’s Shrew Tenrec (Microgale drouhardi), 17. Taiva Shrew Tenrec (Microgale taiva), 18. Pale Shrew (Tenrec Mucrogalefotsifotsy), 19. Greater Long-tailed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale principula), 20. Cowan's Shrew Tenrec (Microgale cowant), 21. Naked-nosed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale gymnorhyncha), 22. Shrew-toothed Shrew Tenrec (Microgale soricoides), 23. Major's Shrew Tenrec (Microgale major), 24. Gracile Shrew Tenrec (Microgale gracilis), 25. Thomas’s Shrew Tenrec (Microgale thomasi), 26. Grandidier’s Shrew Tenrec (Muicrogale grandidieri), 27. Web-footed Tenrec (Microgale mergulus), 28. Least Shrew Tenrec (Muicrogale pusilla), 29. Dark Shrew (Tenrec Microgalejobihely), 30. Nasolo’s Shrew Tenrec (Microgale nasoloi), 31. Jenkins’s Shrew (Tenrec Microgalejenkinsae)

Distribution. W, SW & SE Madagascar, mainly S of Tsiribihina River.