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, two families of small mammals that are traditionally considered to be a part of the order Insectivora.
Some biologists use Tenrecomorpha as the name for the tenrec-golden mole clade, but prevailing evidence suggests Afrosoricida is more appropriate and Tenrecomorpha is used here as the name of the tenrec suborder.
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 suggesting an association between Tenrecomorpha and various other African mammals in a proposed superorder known as Afrotheria; however there is no strong morphological evidence to link the Afrosoricida together with other Afrotherians. The Afrosoricida are sometimes considered part of the Afroinsectiphilia, a clade within the Afrotheria.
- INFRACLASS EUTHERIA: placental mammals
Superorder Afrotheria (?)
Clade Afroinsectiphilia
Order Afrosoricida
Suborder Tenrecomorpha
Family Tenrecidae: tenrecs and otter shrews; 30 species in 10 genera
Suborder Chrysochloridea
Family Chrysochloridae: golden moles; about 21 species in 9 genera
Order Macroscelidea: elephant shrews
Order Tubulidentata: Aardvark
Clade Paenungulata
Order Hyracoidea: hyraxes
Order Proboscidea: elephants
Order Sirenia: manatees and dugongs
(Other superorders, not listed here)
- Superorder Afrotheria (?)
Clade Afroinsectiphilia
Order Afrosoricida
Suborder Tenrecomorpha
Family Tenrecidae: tenrecs and otter shrews; 30 species in 10 genera
Suborder Chrysochloridea
Family Chrysochloridae: golden moles; about 21 species in 9 genera
Order Macroscelidea: elephant shrews
Order Tubulidentata: Aardvark
Clade Paenungulata
Order Hyracoidea: hyraxes
Order Proboscidea: elephants
Order Sirenia: manatees and dugongs
- Clade Afroinsectiphilia
Order Afrosoricida
Suborder Tenrecomorpha
Family Tenrecidae: tenrecs and otter shrews; 30 species in 10 genera
Suborder Chrysochloridea
Family Chrysochloridae: golden moles; about 21 species in 9 genera
Order Macroscelidea: elephant shrews
Order Tubulidentata: Aardvark
- Order Afrosoricida
Suborder Tenrecomorpha
Family Tenrecidae: tenrecs and otter shrews; 30 species in 10 genera
Suborder Chrysochloridea
Family Chrysochloridae: golden moles; about 21 species in 9 genera
- Suborder Tenrecomorpha
Family Tenrecidae: tenrecs and otter shrews; 30 species in 10 genera
- Family Tenrecidae: tenrecs and otter shrews; 30 species in 10 genera
- Suborder Chrysochloridea
Family Chrysochloridae: golden moles; about 21 species in 9 genera
- Family Chrysochloridae: golden moles; about 21 species in 9 genera
- Order Macroscelidea: elephant shrews
- Order Tubulidentata: Aardvark
- Clade Paenungulata
Order Hyracoidea: hyraxes
Order Proboscidea: elephants
Order Sirenia: manatees and dugongs
- Order Hyracoidea: hyraxes
- Order Proboscidea: elephants
- Order Sirenia: manatees and dugongs
- (Other superorders, not listed here)