What is "afrosoricida"

The order Afrosoricida (a Latin-Greek compound name which means "looking like African shrews") contains the golden moles of southern Africa and the tenrecs of Madagascar and Africa. These two families of small mammals have traditionally been considered to be a part of the order Insectivora, a wastebasket taxon, and were later included in Lipotyphla after Insectivora was abandoned, before Lipotyphla was also found to be polyphyletic.

Some biologists use Tenrecomorpha as the name for the tenrec-golden mole clade, but Gary Bronner and Paulina Jenkins argue that Afrosoricida is more appropriate, despite their misgivings about the similarity between the name "Afrosoricida" and the unrelated shrew subgenus Afrosorex.

Traditionally, these two families were grouped with the hedgehogs, shrews and moles in the Lipotyphla. However, there have always been minority opinions suggesting that Tenrecomorpha, or at least the golden moles, are not true lipotyphlans. These opinions are now supported by many genetic studies indicating an association between Tenrecomorpha and various other African mammals in the superorder Afrotheria; however there is no strong morphological evidence to link the Afrosoricida together with other afrotherians. Afrosoricids are sometimes considered part of the Afroinsectiphilia, a clade within Afrotheria.

As a rule, tenrecs 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 take over the insect-eating niche in Madagascar. However, based on the niche occupied, they look like shrews, hedgehogs or otters. Their coat can vary from smooth to spiny and the coloration of the fur is generally dirt brown. Most species are also nocturnal and have poor eyesight. However, their whiskers are rather sensitive and they can detect very minute vibrations in the ground to locate their prey.

• INFRACLASS EUTHERIA: placental mammals
  • Superorder Afrotheria
    • Clade Afroinsectiphilia
• Family Tenrecidae ( tenrecs)
  • Subfamily Geogalinae (1 species)
    • Genus Geogale
      • Large-eared tenrec ( Geogale aurita)
  • Subfamily Oryzorictinae (21 species)
    • Genus Limnogale
      • Web-footed tenrec ( Limnogale mergulus)
    • Genus Microgale
      • Short-tailed shrew tenrec ( Microgale brevicaudata)
      • Cowan's shrew tenrec ( Microgale cowani)
      • Dobson's shrew tenrec ( Microgale dobsoni)
      • 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 ( Microgale gymnorhyncha)
      • Jenkins' shrew tenrec ( Microgale jenkinsae)
      • Northern shrew tenrec ( Microgale jobihely)
      • Lesser long-tailed shrew tenrec ( Microgale longicaudata)
      • Major's long-tailed tenrec ( Microgale majori)
      • Montane shrew tenrec ( Microgale monticola)
      • Nasolo's shrew tenrec ( Microgale nasoloi)
      • Pygmy shrew tenrec ( Microgale parvula)
      • Greater long-tailed shrew tenrec ( Microgale principula)
      • Least shrew tenrec ( Microgale pusilla)
      • Shrew-toothed shrew tenrec ( Microgale soricoides)
      • Taiva shrew tenrec ( Microgale taiva)
      • Talazac's shrew tenrec ( Microgale talazaci)
      • Thomas's shrew tenrec ( Microgale thomasi)
    • Genus Oryzorictes
      • Mole-like rice tenrec ( Oryzorictes hova)
      • Four-toed rice tenrec ( Oryzorictes tetradactylus)
  • Subfamily Potamogalinae
    • Genus Micropotamogale
      • Nimba otter shrew ( Micropotamogale lamottei)
      • Ruwenzori otter shrew ( Micropotamogale ruwenzorii)
    • Genus Potamogale
      • Giant otter shrew ( Potamogale velox)
  • Subfamily Tenrecinae
    • Genus Echinops
      • Lesser hedgehog tenrec ( Echinops telfairi)
    • Genus Hemicentetes
      • Highland streaked tenrec ( Hemicentetes nigriceps)
      • Lowland streaked tenrec ( Hemicentetes semispinosus)
    • Genus Setifer
      • Greater hedgehog tenrec ( Setifer setosus)
    • Genus Tenrec
      • Tailless tenrec ( Tenrec ecaudatus)
• Clade † Bibymalagasia
  • Genus Plesiorycteropus
    • †Plesiorycteropus madagascarensis
    • †Plesiorycteropus germainepetterae
• Family Chrysochloridae ( golden moles)
  • Subfamily Chrysochlorinae (11 species)
    • Genus Carpitalpa
      • Arends' golden mole ( Carpitalpa arendsi)
    • Genus Chlorotalpa
      • Duthie's golden mole ( Chlorotalpa duthieae)
      • Sclater's golden mole ( Chlorotalpa sclateri)
    • Genus Chrysochloris
      • Subgenus Chrysochloris
        • Cape golden mole ( Chrysochloris asiatica)
        • Visagie's golden mole ( Chrysochloris visagiei)
      • Subgenus Kilimatalpa
        • Stuhlmann's golden mole ( Chrysochloris stuhlmanni)
    • Genus Chrysospalax
      • Giant golden mole ( Chrysospalax trevelyani)
      • Rough-haired golden mole ( Chrysospalax villosus)
    • Genus Cryptochloris
      • De Winton's golden mole ( Cryptochloris wintoni)
      • Van Zyl's golden mole ( Cryptochloris zyli)
    • Genus Eremitalpa
      • Grant's golden mole ( Eremitalpa granti)
  • Subfamily Amblysominae (10 species)
    • Genus Amblysomus
      • 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)