Taxon name
Paraechinus hypomelas
(Brandt, 1836)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Paraechinus hypomelas
(Brandt, 1836)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Species authority
(Brandt, 1836)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Treated by some authors under the genus Hemiechinus.
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Least concern
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is restricted to the eastern UAE, but is listed as Least Concern because the species is common in the mountains, no major threats have been reported, and there is no indication of a decline. There is no need for a regional adjustment of the category.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Restricted to the eastern UAE, this species is most common in rocky areas but avoids the highest elevations. Regularly recorded around Al Ain, where it overlaps with the Desert Hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus), and Jebel Hafeet (Abu Dhabi); also recorded from Dhaid (Sharjah), Hatta (Dubai), Wadi Bih (Ra's al-Khaimah), and Dibba on the east coast and the hills west of Khor Fakkan (Fujairah) (Aspinall et al. 2005). The species is widely distributed from the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, through southern Central Asia to Afghanistan and Pakistan (Bhattacharyya et al. 2016).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
In southeast Arabia, Brandt's Hedgehog prefers mountainous areas and may be a montane relic species (Harrison and Bates 1991).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
No major threats are known at present. In the longer term, falling water tables in mountain wadis due to over-abstraction and a drier climate may result in a deterioration in habitat quality.
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Least Concern which matches the listing given by Hornby (1996).
Publication
Mallon, D., Hilton-Taylor, C., Allen, D., & Harding, K. (2019). UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial. A report to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates (p. 41). IUCN Global Species Programme. https://bit.ly/2RdZCQR
