View source for Atelerix

{{Short description|Genus of mammals}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = ''Atelerix''<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 |id=13600004}}</ref>
| image = Atelerix albiventris young.jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Atelerix albiventris|A. albiventris]]''
| taxon = Atelerix
| authority = [[Auguste Pomel|Pomel]], 1848
| type_species = ''[[Atelerix albiventris|Erinaceus albiventris]]''
| type_species_authority = [[Johann Andreas Wagner|Wagner]], 1841
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
''[[Atelerix albiventris|A. albiventris]]''<br />
''[[Atelerix algirus|A. algirus]]''<br />
''[[Atelerix frontalis|A. frontalis]]''<br />
''[[Atelerix sclateri|A. sclateri]]''
}}

'''''Atelerix''''' is a [[genus]] of [[hedgehog]] in the family [[Erinaceidae]]. It contains four species, all native to [[Africa]].<ref name=msw3 />

==Species==
{{Species table |genus= Atelerix |authority-name=[[Johann Andreas Wagner|Wagner]]|authority-year= 1841 |species-count=four|no-note=y|narrow-percent=75}}

{{Species table/row
|name= [[Four-toed hedgehog]] |binomial=[[Atelerix albiventris]]
|image=File:Atelerix albiventris.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Wagner|authority-year= 1841  |authority-not-original=yes
|range=  Gambia and Senegal in the west, to Somalia in the east, and also in eastern Africa, as far south as Mozambique
|range-image=File:Four-toed Hedgehog area.png
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name=[[North African hedgehog]] |binomial=[[Atelerix algirus]]
|image=File:Erizo moruno (Atelerix algirus).jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Lereboullet|authority-year=1842 |authority-not-original=
|range=  Algeria, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia
|range-image= File:North African Hedgehog area.png
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= [[Southern African hedgehog]] |binomial=[[Atelerix frontalis]]
|image=File:South African hedgehog lying close up - DPLA - 99f194ab3746fbc43835fd7d3a0616a6.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=A. Smith |authority-year=1831 |authority-not-original=yes
|range=  Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. 
|range-image=File:Southern African Hedgehog area.png
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name=[[Somali hedgehog]] |binomial=[[Atelerix sclateri]]
|image=File:Atelerix sclateri.JPG|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Anderson |authority-year= 1895 |authority-not-original=
|range= Somalia.
|range-image=File:Somali Hedgehog area.png
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/end}}


The ''Atelerix'' diversified from its family because of geographical isolation during Pleistocene climate changes. This being a type of vicariance separation from the Niger River. This allowed the ''Erinaceidane'' family to be more diverse.

==References==
{{Commons category|Atelerix}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Erinaceomorpha}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q205065}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Atelerix| ]]
[[Category:Mammal genera]]
[[Category:Mammals of Africa| ]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Auguste Pomel]]
[[Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot]]


{{erinaceidae-stub}}