Soricomorpha

Soricomorpha Fossil range: Middle Eocene–Recent PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Southern Short-tailed Shrew
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Eutheria Magnorder: Boreoeutheria Superorder: Laurasiatheria Order: Soricomorpha Gregory, 1910
Families
† Nesophontidae Solenodontidae Soricidae Talpidae

Soricomorpha is an order of placental mammals that includes the true shrews (family Soricidae); moles, shrew-moles, anddesmans (family Talpidae); solenodons (family Solenodontidae), and members of the extinct family Nesophontidae. These families were originally placed in the now extinct order Insectivora. However, Soricomorpha is itself considered to be paraphyletic and often is replaced with the order Eulipotyphla, with includes members of Soriciomorpha and the family Erinaceidae (hedgehogs and gymnures or moonrats).

Members of this order (as well as the order Eulipotyphla) are small mammals with long, narrow, and pointed snouts. The smallest member of this order, the pygmy white-toothed shrew, is but 3 grams in weight and about 3.5 centimeters in body size. On the other hand, solenodons can reach 60 centimeters in size. Soricomorphs are found in all continents except Australia and Antarctica.

The small size of soricomorphs has resulted in their need to consume considerable amounts of food and the Eurasian pigmy shrew must eat virtually all the time.

Classification

Soricomorpha, which means "shrew-form," includes the three extant families of Soricidae, Talpidae, and Solenodontidae, and the extinct family Nesophontidae. Soricidae (true shrews) is the family with the most species, with about 300 species. Talpidae (moles, shrew-moles,and desmans) has about 42 known species, and Solenodontidae (solenodons) has two known extant species and two known extinct specis. The final family Nesophontidae (West Indies shrews) placed in this order is only known in the fossil record.

is a 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), ****Macrelidea (elephant shrews), and Erinaceomorpha (hedgehogs and gymnures), leaving just four families as shown here, leaving Insectivora 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: {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=

{{#invoke:Category handler|main}}{{#invoke:Category handler|main}} }} (white-toothed shrews)

• • • Subfamily Soricinae: {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=

{{#invoke:Category handler|main}}{{#invoke:Category handler|main}} }} (red-toothed shrews)

• • • Subfamily Myosoricinae: {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=

{{#invoke:Category handler|main}}{{#invoke:Category handler|main}} }} (African white-toothed shrews)

• • Family Talpidae: {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=

{{#invoke:Category handler|main}}{{#invoke:Category handler|main}} }} (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)

Eulipotyphla is an order of mammals suggested by molecular methods of phylogeny reconstruction, and including the members of the now-invalid order Insectivora except those in the order Afrosoricida (tenrecs and golden moles), i.e. comprising the solenodons (family Soleodontidae); hedgehogs and gymnures (family Erinaceidae); desmans, moles, and shrew moles (family Talpidae); and true shrews (family Soricidae). True shrews and talpids form a monophyletic clade, sometimes referred to as an order, named Soricomorpha.

• Order Soricidae
  • Family Talpidae
  • Family Erinaceidae
• Family Solenodontidae
• Family Erinaceidae
• Family Talpidae
• Family Soricidae

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Erinaceidae is the only living family in the order Erinaceomorpha, which has recently been subsumed with Soricomorpha into the order Eulipotyphla. Eulipotyphla has been shown to be monophyletic; Soricomorpha is paraphyletic because Soricidae shared a more recent common ancestor with Erinaceidae than with other soricomorphs.

Erinaceidae contains the well-known hedgehogs (subfamily Erinaceinae) of Eurasia and Africa and the gymnures or moonrats (subfamily Galericinae) of South-east Asia. This family was once considered part of the order Insectivora, but that polyphyletic order is now considered defunct.

Patsy, V.; J. Song; R. Weber and L. Siciliano Martina 2014. "Soricomorpha" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed May 31, 2014 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Soricomorpha/

Soricomorphainsectivores Vincent Adam Patsy; Jane Yaewon Song; Robin Elizabeth Weber; Leila Siciliano Martina

References

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Soricomorpha Portal

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