First complete mitochondrial genome analysis of Madras hedgehog sheds new light on the enigmatic species

The first analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome of the Madras hedgehog (Paraechinus nudiventris), also known as the bare-bellied hedgehog, has helped shed some more valuable insight into the evolutionary history of the enigmatic species.

The study titled ‘Mitochondrial genome of the lesser known Madras hedgehog: genomic characterization and comparative analysis within Erinacidae’ was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal ‘Mitochondrial DNA Part A.’

Speaking to The Hindu, R. Brawin Kumar, one of the authors of the paper, said that the species, which was among four hedgehog species found in India, has for long been a “scientific mystery” with no genetic data available to understand its “evolutionary origins, relationships with other hedgehog species and conservation needs.” The species inhabits semi-arid plains, dry grasslands, thorn forests and rocky landscapes.

“The research team, comprising Brawin Kumar, Harald Meimberg (BOKU University, Vienna, Austria), and Thapasya Vijayan (BOKU University, Vienna, Austria), successfully assembled, annotated, and analysed the complete mitochondrial genome of the Madras hedgehog for the first time in scientific history. The mitochondrial genome sequenced in this study is 17,232 base pairs long and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, and two ribosomal RNA genes, the standard architecture for vertebrate mitochondrial genomes,” a press release from the team stated.

Madras hedgehog
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Special Arrangement

Findings

The analysis established the Madras hedgehog was a closely-related sister species to the Indian hedgehog (Paraechinus micropus) and that the two species diverged evolutionarily around 3.69 million years ago, during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene period, which the authors note was a time of great climatic and geological change across South Asia.

The DNA used for the study were obtained from hedgehogs that were killed by vehicles on the road over 62 square kilometers in Thoothukudi district. “This research is significant for several reasons beyond its immediate scientific findings. India is home to an extraordinary small mammal biodiversity, much of which remains poorly studied. The Madras hedgehog is a flagship example, a species that has lived alongside human communities in southern India for millennia, yet whose basic genetic identity was unknown until now,” the team added.

Mr. Brawin Kumar said that the analysis will prove extremely important in safeguarding the future of the species. He called on the State governments where the species is found, to undertake surveys in all districts, to better understand the distribution range of the species.