What is "soricomorpha"

The order Soricomorpha ("shrew-form") is a taxon within the class of mammals. In the past it formed a significant group within the former order Insectivora. However, Insectivora was shown to be polyphyletic and various new orders were split off from it, including Afrosoricida ( tenrecs and golden moles), Macroscelidea (elephant shrews), and Erinaceomorpha ( hedgehogs and gymnures), with just the four families shown here remaining. Insectivora was left empty and disbanded.

Subsequently, Soricomorpha itself was shown to be paraphyletic, because Soricidae shared a more recent common ancestor with Erinaceidae than with other soricomorphs. The combination of Soricomorpha and Erinaceidae, referred to as order Eulipotyphla, has been shown to be monophyletic.

Living members of the order range in size from the Etruscan shrew, at about 3.5 cm and 2 grams, to the Cuban solenodon, at about 32 cm and 1 kg.

• ORDER SORICOMORPHA
  • Family Soricidae (shrews)
    • Subfamily Crocidurinae: (white-toothed shrews)
    • Subfamily Soricinae: (red-toothed shrews)
    • Subfamily Myosoricinae: (African white-toothed shrews)
  • Family Talpidae: ( moles and close relatives)
    • Subfamily Scalopinae (New World moles and close relatives)
    • Subfamily Talpinae (Old World moles and close relatives)
    • Subfamily Uropsilinae (Chinese shrew-like moles)
  • Family Solenodontidae: solenodons (rare primitive soricomorphs)
  • Family † Nesophontidae: West Indian shrews (extinct soricomorphs of the Caribbean)
  • Family † Heterosoricidae
    • genus † Atasorex
    • genus † Dinosorex
    • genus † Domnina
    • genus † Gobisorex
    • genus † Heterosorex
    • genus † Ingentisorex
    • genus † Lusorex
    • genus † Paradomnina
    • genus † Quercysorex