Eulipotyphla

Eulipotyphla
Common shrew (Sorex araneus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Synapsida
Class:	Mammalia
Magnorder:	Boreoeutheria
Superorder:	Laurasiatheria
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Families
Solenodontidae Talpidae Soricidae Erinaceidae

Eulipotyphla ("truly fat and blind") is an order of mammals suggested by molecular methods of phylogenetic reconstruction, and includes the laurasiatherian members of the now-invalid polyphyletic order Lipotyphla, but not the afrotherian members (tenrecs and golden moles, now in their own order Afrosoricida). Lipotyphla in turn had been derived by removing a number of groups from the previously used wastebasket taxon Insectivora.

Thus, Eulipotyphla comprises the hedgehogs and gymnures (family Erinaceidae, formerly also the order Erinaceomorpha), solenodons (family Solenodontidae), the desmans, moles, and shrew-like moles (family Talpidae) and true shrews (family Soricidae). True shrews, talpids and solenodons were formerly grouped in the clade Soricomorpha; however, Soricomorpha has been found to be paraphyletic, since erinaceids are the sister group of shrews.

Classification

• Order EULIPOTYPHLA (= 'Lipotyphla' − Afrosoricida = 'Erinaceomorpha' + 'Soricomorpha')
  • Family Erinaceidae
    • Subfamily Erinaceinae: hedgehogs
    • Subfamily Hylomyinae: moonrats and gymnures
  • Family Soricidae
    • Subfamily Crocidurinae: white-toothed shrews
    • Subfamily Soricinae: red-toothed shrews
    • Subfamily Myosoricinae: African white-toothed shrews
  • Family Talpidae
    • Subfamily Desmaninae: desmans
    • Subfamily Talpinae: moles
    • Subfamily Uropsilinae: shrew-like moles
  • Family Solenodontidae: solenodons
  • Family Nesophontidae: extinct West Indian shrews

Family-level cladogram of extant eulipotyphlan relationships, following Roca et al.:

Eulipotyphla	Solenodontidae Talpidae Soricidae Erinaceidae