taxonID	type	description	language	source
D0FB49BAC64C5E969B69C0640308DDCA.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The specific name orientalis is derived from the Latin oriens, " the east ", and suffix - alis, " pertaining to ", in reference to the new species' eastern distribution in Anhui and Zhejiang provinces in eastern China.	en	Shi, Zifan, Yao, Hongfeng, He, Kai, Bai, Weipeng, Zhou, Jiajun, Fan, Jingyi, Su, Weiting, Nie, Wenhui, Yang, Shuzhen, Onditi, Kenneth O., Jiang, Xuelong, Chen, Zhongzheng (2023): A new species of forest hedgehog (Mesechinus, Erinaceidae, Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) from eastern China. ZooKeys 1185: 143-161, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1185.111615, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1185.111615
D0FB49BAC64C5E969B69C0640308DDCA.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. This is a small-bodied hedgehog (GLS = 49.95 + / - 1.69 mm), similar to M. hughi, but smaller than other Mesechinus species. It has the shortest spines in the genus (18 - 20 mm); the spines have four-colour rings, similar to the spines of M. dauuricus and M. hughi, but different from those of M. miodon and M. wangi (Fig. 8). The parietal is higher than the frontals, which differs from that of M. hughi and M. wangi (Fig. 9). The P 2 is two-rooted and not completely fused (Fig. 4). The protocone of P 3 is vestigial, which differs from that of M. hughi, and smaller than P 2, which distinguishes it from M. dauuricus. The dental formula of M. orientalis sp. nov. [I 3 / 2, C 1 / 1, P 3 / 2, M 3 / 3 (x 2) = 36], which distinguishes it from M. wangi.	en	Shi, Zifan, Yao, Hongfeng, He, Kai, Bai, Weipeng, Zhou, Jiajun, Fan, Jingyi, Su, Weiting, Nie, Wenhui, Yang, Shuzhen, Onditi, Kenneth O., Jiang, Xuelong, Chen, Zhongzheng (2023): A new species of forest hedgehog (Mesechinus, Erinaceidae, Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) from eastern China. ZooKeys 1185: 143-161, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1185.111615, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1185.111615
D0FB49BAC64C5E969B69C0640308DDCA.taxon	description	Description. This is a small-bodied Mesechinus species (HB = 188.83 mm; GLS = 49.95 mm) (Table 2). The ears are small and nearly the same length as the surrounding spines (Fig. 8). The nose is brown, with black whiskers on the snout; these whiskers shorten towards the nose. The spines are the shortest (18 - 20 mm) among Mesechinus species. There are four colour rings on the spine from the base to the tip: two-thirds of the length is white at the base, followed by a 3 - 4 mm black ring, a narrow light ring, and a black tip (Fig. 8). This species appears to be sexually dimorphic; among the specimens we collected, the pelage of males was generally grey, while that of most of the females (2 of 3 specimens) was reddish brown. However, this is a relatively small sample size, and further investigation is required to establish sexual dimorphism with more certainty. The skull is heavy and with a shortened rostrum, and the lambdoidal crest is evident. The parietal is relatively higher than the frontal (Fig. 9). On the ventral side of the skull, a posterior palatal shelf and vestigial posterior palatal spine (<1 mm) extend slightly posteriorly. The suprameatal fossa is moderately developed and has the anterior and posterior rim nearly parallel, giving the fossa a more angular or U-shaped appearance. The zygomatic arches are significantly expanded, and the temporal fossa is large and subrounded. The middle palatine foramen is relatively larger than in other Mesechinus species. The coronoid process of the mandible is tall, rising upward from the posterior of the toothrow; the tips are slightly curved to the posterior, and the posterior surface is concave (Fig. 9). The mandibular condyle sits posteriorly below the coronoid process at a nearly 45 ° angle. The angular process is enlarged, thick, long, and triangulate. As with other Mesechinus species, except M. wangi which has an additional M 4, the dental formula of the new species is I 3 / 2, C 1 / 1, P 3 / 2, M 3 / 3 (x 2) = 36. The I 1 is enlarged, I 2 is much smaller than I 1 and I 3, and I 3 has two roots. P 2 also has two roots which are not completely fused. P 3 is small (smaller than P 2) and has a vestigial protocone. M 1 is slightly larger than M 2, and M 3 is reduced.	en	Shi, Zifan, Yao, Hongfeng, He, Kai, Bai, Weipeng, Zhou, Jiajun, Fan, Jingyi, Su, Weiting, Nie, Wenhui, Yang, Shuzhen, Onditi, Kenneth O., Jiang, Xuelong, Chen, Zhongzheng (2023): A new species of forest hedgehog (Mesechinus, Erinaceidae, Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) from eastern China. ZooKeys 1185: 143-161, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1185.111615, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1185.111615
D0FB49BAC64C5E969B69C0640308DDCA.taxon	distribution	Distribution and habitat. Mesechinus orientalis sp. nov. is currently known from southern Anhui (Xuancheng and Huangshan) and northwestern Zhejiang (Anji, Changxing, Deqing, Yuhang, Linan, Chunan), both in eastern China. Most specimens were collected in scrubland and subtropical broad-leaf evergreen forests at elevations from 30 to 700 m a. s. l.	en	Shi, Zifan, Yao, Hongfeng, He, Kai, Bai, Weipeng, Zhou, Jiajun, Fan, Jingyi, Su, Weiting, Nie, Wenhui, Yang, Shuzhen, Onditi, Kenneth O., Jiang, Xuelong, Chen, Zhongzheng (2023): A new species of forest hedgehog (Mesechinus, Erinaceidae, Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) from eastern China. ZooKeys 1185: 143-161, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1185.111615, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1185.111615
