| Soricomorpha[1] Temporal range: Middle Eocene–Recent |
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|---|---|
| Southern Short-tailed Shrew | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Eutheria |
| Magnorder: | Boreoeutheria |
| Superorder: | Laurasiatheria |
| Order: | Soricomorpha Gregory, 1910 |
| Families | |
The order Soricomorpha ("shrew-form") is taxon within the class of mammals. In previous years it formed a significant group within the former order Insectivora. However, that order 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), leaving just four families as shown here, leaving Insectivora empty and disbanded.[1]
Subsequently, Soricomorpha itself was shown to be paraphyletic, because Soricidae shared a more recent common ancestor with Erinaceidae than with other soricomorphs.[2] However, the combination of Soricomorpha and Erinaceidae, referred to as order Eulipotyphla, has been shown to be monophyletic.[3]
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.
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