A broadly distributed species instead of an insular endemic? A new find of the poorly known Hainan gymnure (Mammalia, Lipotyphla)

Abstract

The Hainan gymnure Neohylomys hainanensis (Mammalia, Lipotyphla), endemic to Hainan Island (China), is one of the rarest and least-known species within the family Galericidae. The IUCN Red List inferred it as an endangered species due to ongoing population decline caused by natural habitat loss. A recent biodiversity survey has revealed N. hainanensis to be rather common in northern Vietnam. This is the first record of the species outside Hainan Island. New data have allowed us to re-assess the conservation status of this poorly known mammal. The occurrence of N. hainanensis in mainland Vietnam also supports the hypothesis that Hainan Island could have been previously connected to Guangxi and northern Vietnam rather than to neighbouring Guangdong.