Afroinsectiphilia

Afroinsectiphilia Temporal range:
Taxidermied animals at the Cambridge University Museum of Zoology, England. On the left four-toed elephant shrew (Petrodromus tetradactylus), in the middle Cape golden mole (Chrysochloris asiatica) and on the right greater hedgehog tenrec (Setifer setosus).
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Superorder:	Afrotheria
Grandorder:	Afroinsectiphilia
Orders
Afrosoricida Macroscelidea Tubulidentata †Ptolemaiida
Red: Afrosoricida, yellow: Tubulidentata, blue: Macroscelidea, orange: both Macroscelidea and Afrosoricida, green: both Macroscelidea and Tubulidentata, purple: both Macroscelidea and Afrosoricida, black: Tubulidentata, Afrosoricida and Macroscelidea

The Afroinsectiphilia (African insectivores) is a clade that has been proposed based on the results of recent molecular phylogenetic studies. Many of the taxa within it were once regarded as part of the order Insectivora, but Insectivora is now considered to be polyphyletic and obsolete. This proposed classification is based on molecular studies only, and there is no morphological evidence for it.

The golden moles, otter shrews and tenrecs are part of this clade. Some also regard the elephant shrews and aardvarks as part of it, although these two orders were traditionally seen as primitive ungulates. The sister group of the Afroinsectiphilia is the Paenungulata, which were also traditionally regarded as ungulates.

If the clade of Afrotheria is genuine, then the Afroinsectiphilia are the closest relatives of the Pseudoungulata (here regarded as part of Afroinsectiphilia) and the Paenungulata. In a classification governed by morphological data, both the Pseudoungulata and Paenungulata are seen as true ungulates, thus not related to Afroinsectiphilia. However, DNA research is thought to provide a more fundamental classification.

Additionally, there might be some dental synapomorphies uniting afroinsectiphilians: p4 talonid and trigonid of similar breadth, a prominent p4 hypoconid, presence of a P4 metacone and absence of parastyles on M1–2. Additional features uniting ptolemaiidans and tubulidentates specifically include hypsodont molars that wear down to a flat surface; a long and shallow mandible with an elongated symphyseal region; and trigonids and talonids that are separated by lateral constrictions.

Taxonomy

• INFRACLASS EUTHERIA: placental mammals
  • Superorder Afrotheria
    • Clade Afroinsectiphilia
      • Order Afrosoricida
        • Suborder Tenrecomorpha
          • Family Potamogalidae: otter shrews; 3 species in 2 genera
          • Family Tenrecidae: tenrecs; 31 extant species in 8 genera
          • †Incertae familiae: Genus Plesiorycteropus; extinct aardvark-like tenrec relatives from the Late Pleistocene/Holocene of Madagascar
        • Suborder Chrysochloridea
          • Family Chrysochloridae: golden moles; about 21 species in 9 genera
      • Order Macroscelidea: elephant shrews (according to some recent data part of Afroinsectiphilia)
      • Order Tubulidentata: aardvark (according to some recent data part of Afroinsectiphilia)
      • †Order Ptolemaiida: extinct carnivorous mammals, probably closely related to aardvarks.
    • Clade Paenungulata

Phylogeny

Afrotheria Paenungulata Hyracoidea Procaviidae Tethytheria Sirenia Trichechidae Dugongidae Proboscidea Elephantidae Afroinsectiphilia Tubulidentata Orycteropodidae Afroinsectivora Macroscelidea Macroscelididae Afrosoricida Chrysochloridae Tenrecomorpha Potamogalidae Tenrecidae

A cladogram of Afrotheria based on molecular evidence