猬科是胎生哺乳动物中最古老的科之一。猬科动物的进化历史甚至可以追溯到恐龙时代的白垩纪。除了大家熟知的刺猬（亚科）之外，形态上更为原始的毛猬（亚科）至今仍广泛分布在东南亚和中国西南地区。
然而对猬科现生物种的进化关系仍然存在很大的争论。昆明动物所蒋学龙研究员课题组与美国康涅狄格大学猬科古生物学家Gina C. Gould博士合作，首次结合分子生物学和形态学对现生类群进行进化分析，结果显示现生的毛猬亚科动物比刺猬起源更加古老，通常被认为是近亲的大耳猬属和印度刺猬属则可能是由于对干旱环境的趋同进化造成形态上的相似。
本研究的结果还说明现有的分类系统未能反应猬科的系统演化关系或遗传多样性，对这个古老的类群还有很多工作值得开展。本研究发表于《公共科学图书馆·综合》 (PLoS ONE：2012，7 (6) e39304)。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0039304
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An Estimation of Erinaceidae Phylogeny: A Combined Analysis Approach
Kai He1,2#, Jian-Hai Chen1,2#, Gina C. Gould3,4#, Nobuyuki Yamaguchi5, Huai-Sen Ai6, Ying-Xiang Wang1, Ya-Ping Zhang1, Xue-Long Jiang1*
Background Erinaceidae is a family of small mammals that include the spiny hedgehogs (Erinaceinae) and the silky-furred moonrats and gymnures (Galericinae). These animals are widely distributed across Eurasia and Africa, from the tundra to the tropics and the deserts to damp forests. The importance of these animals lies in the fact that they are the oldest known living placental mammals, which are well represented in the fossil record, a rarity fact given their size and vulnerability to destruction during fossilization. Although the Family has been well studied, their phylogenetic relationships remain controversial. To test previous phylogenetic hypotheses, we combined molecular and morphological data sets, including representatives of all the genera. Methodology and Principal Findings We included in the analyses 3,218 bp mitochondrial genes, one hundred and thirty-five morphological characters, twenty-two extant erinaceid taxa, and five outgroup taxa. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed using both partitioned and combined data sets. As in previous analyses, our results strongly support the monophyly of both subfamilies (Galericinae and Erinaceinae), the Hylomys group (to include Neotetracus and Neohylomys), and a sister-relationship of Atelerix and Erinaceus. As well, we verified that the extremely long branch lengths within the Galericinae are consistent with their fossil records. Not surprisingly, we found significant incongruence between the phylogenetic signals of the genes and the morphological characters, specifically in the case of Hylomys parvus, Mesechinus, and relationships between Hemiechinus and Paraechinus. Conclusions Although we discovered new clues to understanding the evolutionary relationships within the Erinaceidae, our results nonetheless, strongly suggest that more robust analyses employing more complete taxon sampling (to include fossils) and multiple unlinked genes would greatly enhance our understanding of the Erinaceidae. Until then, we have left the nomenclature of the taxa unchanged; hence it does not yet precisely reflect their phylogenetic relationships or the depth of their genetic diversity.
