He placed the families Tenrecidae, Solenodontidae, and Chrysochloridae in a separate order, the Deltatheridia. The Macroscelididae were placed in a separate order, the Macroscelidea, which together with the order Lagomorpha was put in the grandorder Anagalidia. Yates put the Cynocephalidae in the order Dermoptera and made the family Nesophontidae part of the Solenodontidae. Yates's arrangement is generally accepted here, except that the families Solenodontidae and Nesophontidae are considered to be distinct but closely related. The following sequence covers 7 families, with 65 genera and 390 species.
Insectivores are usually small and have long, narrow snouts and five-clawed digits on each limb.
The body covering is usually short, close-set fur with only one kind of hair, or sometimes spines. These animals generally move about on the sole of the foot, with the heel touching the ground. Neither the thumb nor the big toe is opposable. The radius and ulna are separate, but the tibia and fibula are often fused near the ankle. Clavicles are present in all genera except Potamogale.