The clade Afrosoricida (a Latin-Greek compound name which means "looking like African shrews") contains the

golden mole Golden moles are small insectivorous burrowing mammals endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. They comprise the family Chrysochloridae (the only family in the suborder Chrysochloridea) and as such they are taxonomically distinct from the true moles, f ...

s of

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...

, the

otter shrew Potamogalidae is the family of "otter shrews", a group of semiaquatic riverine afrotherian mammals indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa. They are most closely related to the tenrecs of Madagascar, from which they are thought to have split about 47� ...

s of

equatorial Africa Equatorial Africa is an ambiguous term that sometimes is used to refer to the equatorial region of sub-Saharan Africa traversed by the Equator, more broadly to tropical Africa, or in a biological and geo-environmental sense to the intra-tropic ...

and the

tenrec A tenrec () is a mammal belonging to any species within the afrotherian family Tenrecidae, which is endemic to Madagascar. Tenrecs are a very diverse group, as a result of adaptive radiation, and exhibit convergent evolution, some resemble hed ...

s of

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. These three groups of small

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s were for most of the 19th and 20th centuries regarded as a part of the

Insectivora The Order (biology), order Insectivora (from Latin ''insectum'' "insect" and ''vorare'' "to eat") is a now-abandoned biological grouping within the class of mammals. Some species have now been moved out, leaving the remaining ones in the order ...

Lipotyphla Lipotyphla is a formerly used order of mammals, meaning lacking blind gut, including the members of the order Eulipotyphla (i.e. the solenodons, family Solenodontidae; hedgehogs and gymnures, family Erinaceidae; desmans, moles, and shrew-like mol ...

, but both of those groups, as traditionally used, are

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...

Naming

Some biologists use Tenrecoidea or Tenrecomorpha as the name for the tenrec-golden mole

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

and regard Afrosoricida as a junior synonym (even though the rules of the

ICZN The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its formal author, t ...

do not apply above the Linnean rank of family). This is based on the principles of Simpson, summarized by Asher & Helgen to mean that "priority and stability should comprise the overriding principles by which new, high-level taxa are named. Established names for any given clade should not be altered unless the name with precedent unambiguously threatens stability." When "Afrosoricida" was first named in 1998, '' Afrosorex'' was a subgenus of ''

Crocidura The genus ''Crocidura'' is one of nine genera of the shrew subfamily Crocidurinae. Members of the genus are commonly called white-toothed shrews or musk shrews, although both also apply to all of the species in the subfamily. With over 180 sp ...

'' and McDowell had used the name Tenrecoidea for the same clade of golden moles and tenrecs. Gary Bronner and Paula Jenkins referred to "Afrosoricida" in their chapter in Wilson & Reeder as "... inappropriate since this clade does not include soricids, and could lead to confusion with the soricid subgenus '' Afrosorex''" but still kept it due to their perception that the name was "entrenched in the recent literature" and because of the admittedly confusing history of terms like Tenrecoidea and Tenrecomorpha. Asher & Helgen presented their views on the appropriateness of these and other high-level taxa, including a response to Hedges, who supported keeping "Afrosoricida".

Biology

As a rule, tenrecs and otter shrews tend to be small animals varying from 4 cm to 39 cm in length. There is no pronounced body type since they have evolved to occupy a number of small-bodied, faunivorous niches in Madagascar (tenrecines) and mainland Africa (potamogalines). However, certain species bear some ecological similarity to hedgehogs, soricid shrews, or miniature

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

s. Their coat can vary from smooth to spiny and the coloration of the fur can also vary from brown, gray, to other hues (see for example photos on the ASM library). Most species are also nocturnal and have poor eyesight. Their

whisker Whiskers, also known as vibrissae (; vibrissa; ) are a type of stiff, functional hair used by most therian mammals to sense their environment. These hairs are finely specialised for this purpose, whereas other types of hair are coarser as t ...

s are rather sensitive and they can detect very minute vibrations in the ground to locate their prey. Unusual among

placental Placental mammals (infraclass Placentalia ) are one of the three extant subdivisions of the class Mammalia, the other two being Monotremata and Marsupialia. Placentalia contains the vast majority of extant mammals, which are partly distinguished ...

s, afrosoricids have a

cloaca A cloaca ( ), : cloacae ( or ), or vent, is the rear orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive (rectum), reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles, birds, cartilagin ...

, which is the rear orifice that functions as the opening for the

urinary The human urinary system, also known as the urinary tract or renal system, consists of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and the urethra. The purpose of the urinary system is to eliminate waste from the body, regulate blood volume and blood pressu ...

, digestive, and

reproductive The reproductive system of an organism, also known as the genital system, is the biological system made up of all the anatomical organs involved in sexual reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are al ...

tracts.

Phylogeny

Traditionally, these two families were grouped with the

hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. The ...

shrew Shrews ( family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to dif ...

s and

mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole" * Golden mole, southern African mammals * Marsupial mole Marsupial moles, the Notoryctidae family, are two species of highly specialized marsupial mammals that are found i ...

s in the

. However, there have always been minority opinions suggesting that Tenrecoidea, or at least the golden moles, are not true lipotyphlans. For example, Robert Broom wrote in 1916 that "examination of the skull confirms ... that '' Chrysochloris'' is not a near ally of ''Centetes''" (i.e., '' Tenrec ecaudatus'') "and that it is not an Insectivore". These opinions are now supported by many genetic studies indicating an association between tenrecoids and various other African mammals in the

Afrotheria Afrotheria ( from Latin ''Afro-'' "of Africa" + ''theria'' "wild beast") is a superorder of placental mammals, the living members of which belong to groups that are either currently living in Africa or of African origin: golden moles, elephan ...

. Tenrecs and golden moles are sometimes considered part of the

Afroinsectiphilia The Afroinsectiphilia (African insectivores) is a clade that has been proposed based on the results of recent molecular phylogenetic studies. Many of the taxa within it were once regarded as part of the order Insectivora, but Insectivora is now ...

, a clade within Afrotheria.

Cladogram of living Afrosoricida

The generally accepted cladogram of living Afrosoricida is:

Species

* Infraclass

Eutheria Eutheria (from Greek , 'good, right' and , 'beast'; ), also called Pan-Placentalia, is the clade consisting of Placentalia, placental mammals and all therian mammals that are more closely related to placentals than to marsupials. Eutherians ...

: placental mammals ** Superorder

*** Clade

**** Clade Afroinsectivora ***** Order Afrosoricida ****** Suborder Tenrecomorpha (otter shrews and tenrecs) ******* Family

Potamogalidae Potamogalidae is the family of "otter shrews", a group of semiaquatic riverine afrotherian mammals indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa. They are most closely related to the tenrecs of Madagascar, from which they are thought to have split about 47� ...

(

s) ******** Genus '' Micropotamogale'' *********

Nimba otter shrew The Nimba otter shrew (''Micropotamogale lamottei'') is a dwarf otter shrew and belongs to the mammal family Potamogalidae. Otter shrews are shrew-like afrotherian mammals found in sub-Saharan Africa. They are most closely related to the tenrecs ...

('' Micropotamogale lamottei'') ********* Ruwenzori otter shrew ('' Micropotamogale ruwenzorii'') ******** Genus '' Potamogale'' *********

Giant otter shrew The giant otter shrew (''Potamogale velox'') is a semiaquatic, carnivorous afrotherian mammal. It is found in the main rainforest block of central Africa from Nigeria to Zambia, with a few isolated populations in Kenya and Uganda. It lives in str ...

('' Potamogale velox'') ******* Family Plesiorycteropodidae ******** Genus †''

Plesiorycteropus ''Plesiorycteropus'', also known as the bibymalagasy or Malagasy aardvark, is a recently extinct genus of mammals from Madagascar. Upon its description in 1895, it was classified with the aardvark, but more recent molecular evidence instead sug ...

'' ********* †''Plesiorycteropus madagascariensis'' ********* †''Plesiorycteropus germainepetterae'' ******* Family Tenrecidae (

s) ******** Subfamily Geogalinae (1 species) ********* Genus '' Geogale'' ********** Large-eared tenrec ('' Geogale aurita'') ******** Subfamily Oryzorictinae (24 species) ********* Genus '' Microgale'' ********** Short-tailed shrew tenrec ('' Microgale brevicaudata'') ********** Cowan's shrew tenrec ('' Microgale cowani'') ********** Drouhard's shrew tenrec ('' Microgale drouhardi'') ********** Dryad shrew tenrec ('' Microgale dryas'') ********** Pale shrew tenrec ('' Microgale fotsifotsy'') ********** Gracile shrew tenrec ('' Microgale gracilis'') **********

Naked-nosed shrew tenrec The naked-nosed shrew tenrec (''Microgale gymnorhyncha'') is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical and tropical subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, moist lowland ...

Tenrecinae Tenrecinae is a Tenrecidae, tenrec subfamily endemic to the island of Madagascar. It contains the largest species in the family, ''Tenrec ecaudatus''. All members of the genus possess Spine (zoology), spines, analogous to those of hedgehogs, for ...

(5 species) ********* Tribe Setiferini ********** Genus '' Echinops'' *********** Lesser hedgehog tenrec ('' Echinops telfairi'') ********** Genus '' Setifer'' *********** Greater hedgehog tenrec ('' Setifer setosus'') ********* Tribe Tenrecini ********** Genus '' Hemicentetes'' *********** Highland streaked tenrec ('' Hemicentetes nigriceps'') *********** Lowland streaked tenrec ('' Hemicentetes semispinosus'') ********** Genus ''

Tenrec A tenrec () is a mammal belonging to any species within the afrotherian family Tenrecidae, which is endemic to Madagascar. Tenrecs are a very diverse group, as a result of adaptive radiation, and exhibit convergent evolution, some resemble hed ...

'' *********** Common tenrec ('' Tenrec ecaudatus'') ****** Suborder Chrysochloridea (

s) ******* Family

Chrysochloridae Golden moles are small insectivorous burrowing mammals Endemism, endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. They comprise the family Chrysochloridae (the only family in the suborder Chrysochloridea) and as such they are Taxonomy (biology), taxonomically dis ...

(golden moles) ******** Subfamily Chrysochlorinae (11 species) ********* Genus ''

Carpitalpa Arends' golden mole (''Carpitalpa arendsi'') is a species of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It is found in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry, and moist montane forests, dry l ...

'' ********** Arends' golden mole ('' Carpitalpa arendsi'') ********* Genus ''

Chlorotalpa ''Chlorotalpa'' is a genus of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae Golden moles are small insectivorous burrowing mammals Endemism, endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. They comprise the family Chrysochloridae (the only family in the suborder Chrys ...

'' ********** Duthie's golden mole ('' Chlorotalpa duthieae'') ********** Sclater's golden mole ('' Chlorotalpa sclateri'') ********* Genus '' Chrysochloris'' ********** Subgenus ''Chrysochloris'' ***********

Cape golden mole The Cape golden mole (''Chrysochloris asiatica'') is a small, insectivorous mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands ...

('' Chrysochloris asiatica'') *********** Visagie's golden mole ('' Chrysochloris visagiei'') ********** Subgenus ''Kilimatalpa'' *********** Stuhlmann's golden mole ('' Chrysochloris stuhlmanni'') ********* Genus ''

Chrysospalax ''Chrysospalax'' is a small genus of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. The two members are endemic to South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. I ...

'' ********** Giant golden mole ('' Chrysospalax trevelyani'') ********** Rough-haired golden mole ('' Chrysospalax villosus'') ********* Genus ''

Cryptochloris ''Cryptochloris'' is a genus of golden moles, containing the two species De Winton's golden mole (''Cryptochloris wintoni'') and Van Zyl's golden mole (''Cryptochloris zyli''). References

Afrosoricida Mammal genera Taxonomy articles cr ...

'' **********

De Winton's golden mole De Winton's golden mole (''Cryptochloris wintoni'') is a species of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It is endemic to South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical dry shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, and sandy shores. I ...

('' Cryptochloris wintoni'') ********** Van Zyl's golden mole ('' Cryptochloris zyli'') ********* Genus ''

Eremitalpa Grant's golden mole (''Eremitalpa granti''; colloquially also: ''dune shark'') is a golden mole species. It is the only member of the genus ''Eremitalpa''. Description Like all other golden moles, the build of these animals is similar to the ...

'' ********** Grant's golden mole ('' Eremitalpa granti'') ******** Subfamily Amblysominae (10 species) ********* Genus ''

Amblysomus ''Amblysomus'' (also narrow-headed golden mole or South African golden mole) is a genus of the golden mole family, Chrysochloridae, comprising five species of the small, insect-eating, burrowing mammals endemic to Southern Africa. All five spec ...

'' ********** Fynbos golden mole (''Amblysomus corriae'') ********** Hottentot golden mole (''Amblysomus hottentotus'') ********** Marley's golden mole (''Amblysomus marleyi'') ********** Robust golden mole (''Amblysomus robustus'') ********** Highveld golden mole (''Amblysomus septentrionalis'') ********* Genus ''Calcochloris'' ********** Subgenus ''Huetia'' *********** Congo golden mole (''Calcochloris leucorhinus'') ********** Subgenus ''Calcochloris'' *********** Yellow golden mole (''Calcochloris obtusirostris'') ********** Subgenus ''incertae sedis'' *********** Somali golden mole (''Calcochloris tytonis'') ********* Genus ''Neamblysomus'' ********** Juliana's golden mole (''Neamblysomus julianae'') ********** Gunning's golden mole (''Neamblysomus gunningi'')

References

{{Authority control Afrosoricida, Afroinsectivora Mammal orders Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa described in 1998

Naming

Biology

Phylogeny

Cladogram of living Afrosoricida

Species

See also

References