Insectivora

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Insectivora

The order Insectivora (from Latin insectum "insect" and vorare "to eat") in the past was used as a scrapbasket for a variety of small to very small, relatively unspecialised, insectivorous mammals. The taxonomy has been refined in recent years, and treeshrews, elephant shrews, and colugos have now been placed in separate orders. Molecular evidence also indicates that golden moles and tenrecs should be separated as a new order Afrosoricida comprising Chrysochloridae (golden moles) and Tenrecidae (tenrecs). Other evidence now indicates that even Erinaceidae (hedgehogs), Solenodontidae and Nesophontidae should also be placed in separate orders.

Traditionally, the golden moles of southern Africa and the tenrecs of Madagascar and Africa 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.

ORDER INSECTIVORA
- Family Erinaceidae
  - Subfamily Erinaceinae: hedgehogs
  - Subfamily Hylomyinae: moonrats and gymnures
- Family Soricidae
  - Subfamily Crocidurinae: white-toothed shrews
  - Subfamily Soricinae: red-toothed shrews
  - Subfamily Myosoricinae: African white-toothed shrews
- Family Talpidae
  - Subfamily Desmaninae: desmans
  - Subfamily Talpinae: moles
  - Subfamily Uropsilinae: shrew moles
- Family Solenodontidae: solenodons
- Family Nesophontidae: extinct West Indian shrews

These families have been placed within Insectivora in the past:

Family Chrysochloridae (golden moles)
Family Tenrecidae (tenrecs)
Family Macroscelididae (elephant shrews)
Family Tupaiidae (treeshrews)
Family Cynocephalidae (colugos)

Not to be confused with insectivores (the eaters of insects considered as an ecological niche), not all of which belong to the Order Insectivora.

Insectivora

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