Afrosoricida
| Afrosoricida[1] Temporal range: Early Miocene–Recent PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N | |
|---|---|
Tenrec ecaudatus | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Superorder: | Afrotheria |
| Order: | Afrosoricida Stanhope, 1998 |
| Suborders | |
Chrysochloridea | |
The order Afrosoricida (a Latin-Greek compound name which means "looking like African shrews") contains the golden moles of southern Africa, the otter shrews of equatorial Africa and the tenrecs of Madagascar. These three families of small mammals have traditionally been considered to be a part of the order Insectivora, a wastebasket taxon, and were later included in Lipotyphla after Insectivora was abandoned, before Lipotyphla was also found to be polyphyletic.
Some biologists use Tenrecomorpha as the name for the tenrec-golden mole clade, but Gary Bronner and Paulina Jenkins argue that Afrosoricida is more appropriate, despite their misgivings about the similarity between the name "Afrosoricida" and the unrelated shrew subgenus Afrosorex.[1]
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 indicating an association between Tenrecomorpha and various other African mammals in the superorder Afrotheria; however there is no strong morphological evidence to link the Afrosoricida together with other afrotherians. Afrosoricids are sometimes considered part of the Afroinsectiphilia, a clade within Afrotheria.
As a rule, tenrecs and otter shrews tend to be small animals varying from 4 cm to 39 cm in length. There is no pronounced body type since they have evolved to take over the insect-eating niche in Madagascar. However, based on the niche occupied, they look like shrews, hedgehogs or otters. Their coat can vary from smooth to spiny and the coloration of the fur is generally dirt brown. Most species are also nocturnal and have poor eyesight. However, their whiskers are rather sensitive and they can detect very minute vibrations in the ground to locate their prey.
- INFRACLASS EUTHERIA: placental mammals
- Superorder Afrotheria
Clade Afroinsectiphilia
- Order Afrosoricida
- Suborder Tenrecomorpha (otter shrews and tenrecs)
- Family Potamogalidae (otter shrews)
- Genus Micropotamogale
Nimba otter shrew (Micropotamogale lamottei)
Ruwenzori otter shrew (Micropotamogale ruwenzorii)
- Genus Potamogale
Giant otter shrew (Potamogale velox)
- Genus Micropotamogale
- Family Tenrecidae (tenrecs)
- Subfamily Geogalinae (1 species)
- Genus Geogale
Large-eared tenrec (Geogale aurita)
- Genus Geogale
- Subfamily Oryzorictinae (21 species)
- Genus Microgale
Short-tailed shrew tenrec (Microgale brevicaudata)
Cowan's shrew tenrec (Microgale cowani)
Drouhard's shrew tenrec (Microgale drouhardi)
Dryad shrew tenrec (Microgale dryas)
Pale shrew tenrec (Microgale fotsifotsy)
Gracile shrew tenrec (Microgale gracilis)
Naked-nosed shrew tenrec (Microgale gymnorhyncha)
Jenkins' shrew tenrec (Microgale jenkinsae)
Northern shrew tenrec (Microgale jobihely)
Lesser long-tailed shrew tenrec (Microgale longicaudata)
Major's long-tailed tenrec (Microgale majori)
Web-footed tenrec (Microgale mergulus)
Montane shrew tenrec (Microgale monticola)
Nasolo's shrew tenrec (Microgale nasoloi)
Pygmy shrew tenrec (Microgale parvula)
Greater long-tailed shrew tenrec (Microgale principula)
Least shrew tenrec (Microgale pusilla)
Shrew-toothed shrew tenrec (Microgale soricoides)
Taiva shrew tenrec (Microgale taiva)
Thomas's shrew tenrec (Microgale thomasi)
- Genus Nesogale
Dobson's shrew tenrec (Nesogale dobsoni)
Talazac's shrew tenrec (Nesogale talazaci)
- Genus Oryzorictes
Mole-like rice tenrec (Oryzorictes hova)
Four-toed rice tenrec (Oryzorictes tetradactylus)
- Genus Microgale
- Subfamily Tenrecinae
- Genus Echinops
Lesser hedgehog tenrec (Echinops telfairi)
- Genus Hemicentetes
Highland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes nigriceps)
Lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus)
- Genus Setifer
Greater hedgehog tenrec (Setifer setosus)
- Genus Tenrec
Tailless tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus)
- Genus Echinops
- Subfamily Geogalinae (1 species)
Incertae familiae: Clade †Bibymalagasia
- Genus Plesiorycteropus
- †Plesiorycteropus madagascariensis
- †Plesiorycteropus germainepetterae
- †Plesiorycteropus madagascariensis
- Genus Plesiorycteropus
- Family Potamogalidae (otter shrews)
- Suborder Chrysochloridea (golden moles)
- Family Chrysochloridae (golden moles)
- Subfamily Chrysochlorinae (11 species)
- Genus Carpitalpa
Arends' golden mole (Carpitalpa arendsi)
- Genus Chlorotalpa
Duthie's golden mole (Chlorotalpa duthieae)
Sclater's golden mole (Chlorotalpa sclateri)
- Genus Chrysochloris
- Subgenus Chrysochloris
Cape golden mole (Chrysochloris asiatica)
Visagie's golden mole (Chrysochloris visagiei)
- Subgenus Kilimatalpa
Stuhlmann's golden mole (Chrysochloris stuhlmanni)
- Subgenus Chrysochloris
- Genus Chrysospalax
Giant golden mole (Chrysospalax trevelyani)
Rough-haired golden mole (Chrysospalax villosus)
- Genus Cryptochloris
De Winton's golden mole (Cryptochloris wintoni)
Van Zyl's golden mole (Cryptochloris zyli)
- Genus Eremitalpa
Grant's golden mole (Eremitalpa granti)
- Genus Carpitalpa
- Subfamily Amblysominae (10 species)
- Genus Amblysomus
Fynbos golden mole (Amblysomus corriae)
Hottentot golden mole (Amblysomus hottentotus)
Marley's golden mole (Amblysomus marleyi)
Robust golden mole (Amblysomus robustus)
Highveld golden mole (Amblysomus septentrionalis)
- Genus Calcochloris
- Subgenus Huetia
Congo golden mole (Calcochloris leucorhinus)
- Subgenus Calcochloris
Yellow golden mole (Calcochloris obtusirostris)
- Subgenus incertae sedis
Somali golden mole (Calcochloris tytonis)
- Subgenus Huetia
- Genus Neamblysomus
Juliana's golden mole (Neamblysomus julianae)
Gunning's golden mole (Neamblysomus gunningi)
- Genus Amblysomus
- Subfamily Chrysochlorinae (11 species)
- Family Chrysochloridae (golden moles)
- Suborder Tenrecomorpha (otter shrews and tenrecs)
- Order Afrosoricida
- Superorder Afrotheria
References
^ ab Bronner, G.N.; Jenkins, P.D. (2005). "Order Afrosoricida". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 71–81. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
See also
Afrosoricida portal
- Pseudoungulata
- List of mammals of Madagascar