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| Coendou sangay Brito, in Brito, Curay, León-Caldas, Lojan-Cueva, Ojala-Barbour, Pozo-Zamora, Simba, Tito, Vargas, Vega-Yánez et Batallas, 2026. Sangay Porcupine | Puerco espín de Sangay || DOI: doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21382 |
Abstract
The tropical Andes harbor high levels of undocumented biodiversity, often hidden within complex ecological communities that require sustained sampling efforts to be fully characterized. Here, we describe a new species of porcupine of the genus Coendou, discovered within the hyper-diverse mammalian assemblage of Sangay National Park (Sangay) in Ecuador. The description is based on an adult specimen collected at 2,400 m on the eastern slopes of the Andes. Phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial Cytochrome b (Cytb) place the new species as a distinct lineage within the Clade B (sensu (Voss, Hubbard & Jansa, 2013)), showing significant genetic divergence (p-distance > 6.0%) from its closest congeners, C. speratus, C. nycthemera and C. bicolor. Morphologically, Coendou sangay sp. nov. is diagnosed by its medium body size, a remarkably short tail (approx. 26% of head-and-body length), tricolored bristle-quills with brownish-red tips, and distinct cranial features, including a long nasal bone and a mesopterygoid fossa that does not reach the second upper molar. This discovery is contextualized within a comprehensive mammalian inventory of Sangay, compiled over 15 years of fieldwork. Despite an intensive sampling effort totaling 12,800 trap-nights and 2,400 camera-trap days, only a single specimen was obtained, highlighting the species status as a rare, canopy-dwelling specialist. We report 170 mammal species within the park, including 18 endemic and 35 threatened taxa. With a richness of 0.03 species per km2, Sangay ranks as the most mammal-diverse protected area per unit area in the Tropics. Our results demonstrate that intensive, long-term inventories are essential for identifying cryptic arboreal lineages that remain “invisible” to traditional terrestrial sampling. Finally, we emphasize the urgent need for conservation policies, including the strengthening of biological corridors and the limitation on road and mining expansion, to safeguard this high-elevation biodiversity hotspot.
Keywords: Eastern Andes, Cloud forest, Rare species, Biodiversity hotspot, Species delimitation
Systematic
Family Erethizontidae Bonaparte, 1845
Genus Coendou Lacépède, 1799
Coendou sangay new species. Brito
Coendou rufescens: Brito & Ojala-Barbour (2016), not Coendou rufescens (Gray, 1865)
Coendou rufescens: Batallas & Brito (2022), not Coendou rufescens (Gray, 1865)
Sangay Porcupine, Puerco espín de Sangay (in Spanish)
Diagnosis. Coendou sangay sp. nov. is distinguished from other species of the genus by its medium-sized body (HBL 460 mm) and very small tail (26% LT/HBL), absence of long fur, tricolored bristle-quills (with brownish red tips), spiny ventral fur, and a unique combination of cranial features, including a long nasal bone (35% LN/CIL), constricted maxillary bony bridge, and a mesopterygoid fossa that does not reach M2.
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| Coendou sangay sp. nov. (MECN 4343, holotype). (A) External appearance of the adult female alive in its natural habitat in the Sangay, Ecuador; (B) lateral and (C) posterior view of the revealing an aposematic coloration. Photographs by J. Brito. |
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| Selected external and soft anatomical features of Coendou sangay sp. nov. (MECN 4343, holotype). Ventral view of the hand (A), and of the foot (B); detail of the muzzle (C); perineal region (D), and ventral view of the tail (E). Abbreviations: a = anus, v = vagina. Photographs by J. Brito. |
Etymology: This species is named in honor of Sangay National Park, which is the largest Andean national park in Ecuador. The park includes a large elevation gradient along the eastern slopes, or Eastern Cordillera, of the Andes and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park gets its name from Sangay, one of Ecuador’s most active volcanoes, which is located within its boundaries.
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| Field expedition to Guabisai (A), Cubillines (B), and sampling and collecting in the area (C, D). Photographs of J. Brito (A, C, D), and G. Pozo (B). |
Jorge Brito, Jenny Curay, Víctor León-Caldas, Pamela Lojan-Cueva, Reed Ojala-Barbour, Glenda Pozo-Zamora, Laura Simba, Paul Tito, Rocío Vargas, Mateo A. Vega-Yánez and Diego Batallas. 2026. Discovery of A New Species of Coendou (Rodentia: Erethizontidae) within the Hyper-diverse Mammalian Community of Sangay National Park in Ecuador. PeerJ. 14:e21382 DOI: doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21382 [June 8, 2026]
