Distribution of hedgehogs (Erinaceus) in Europe

Three species of Erinaceus occur in Europe:
E. europaeus, E. roumanicus & E. concolor

E. europaeus and E. roumanicus overlap in a broad range in the European part of Russia and in areas of Poland, Czechia, Austria, Slowenia and Italy.
E. concolor is an asiatic species, the nearest occurrences are in Turkey and the Caucasus.

The distinction of the three species is difficult and mostly not possible on photos. The color of the fur on the underside is usually lighter in E. roumanicus, but as far as I understand it, morphological measurements are required to confirm a species ID. Also, the range of the species might be undergoing continuous shifting.

Here are distribution maps of the three species (source: Wikipedia):

In European Russia, there is a broad area of overlap of the two species (Source: I. Zagorodniuk [2005]):

Here is the situation in Austria (E. europaeus above):

Distribution maps for other countries would be highly appreciated.

Sources:
http://terioshkola.org.ua/library/zag/zag-2005-(geosibling).pdf (Russian)
https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/WM_20_0011-0436.pdf (German)
https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Gruene-Reihe-Lebensministerium_13_0001-0895.pdf (German)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/296106521_Materials_for_a_theriofauna_of_north-eastern_Italy_Mammalia_Friuli-Venezia_Giulia (Italian)

Posted by carnifex, December 22, 2020 08:08