Eulipotyphla (/ˌjuːlɪpoʊˈtɪflə/, which means "truly fat and blind"[1]) is an order of mammals suggested by molecular methods of phylogenetic reconstruction, which includes the laurasiatherian members of the now-invalid polyphyletic order Lipotyphla, but not the afrotherian members (tenrecs, golden moles, and otter shrews, now in their own order Afrosoricida).
| Eulipotyphla Temporal range: | |
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| Clockwise from upper left: a solenodon, hedgehog,[a] mole and shrew | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Magnorder: | Boreoeutheria |
| Superorder: | Laurasiatheria |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla Waddell et al., 1999 |
| Families | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Eulipotyphla comprises the hedgehogs and gymnures (family Erinaceidae, formerly also the order Erinaceomorpha), solenodons (family Solenodontidae), the desmans, moles, and shrew-like moles (family Talpidae) and true shrews (family Soricidae). True shrews, talpids and solenodons were formerly grouped in Soricomorpha; however, Soricomorpha has been found to be paraphyletic, since erinaceids are the sister group of shrews.[2][3][4]
A 2023 study suggested that the order began to diversify prior to the K-Pg extinction, based on molecular clock estimates.[5]
Classification
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- Order Eulipotyphla (= 'Lipotyphla' - Afrosoricida = 'Erinaceomorpha' + 'Soricomorpha')
- Family Erinaceidae[8]
- Subfamily Erinaceinae: hedgehogs
- Subfamily Galericinae: gymnures or moonrats
- Family Soricidae[9]
- Subfamily Crocidurinae: white-toothed shrews
- Subfamily Soricinae: red-toothed shrews
- Subfamily Myosoricinae: African white-toothed shrews
- Family Talpidae[10]
- Subfamily Talpinae: Old World moles and desmans
- Subfamily Scalopinae: New World moles
- Subfamily Uropsilinae: shrew-like moles
- Family Solenodontidae: solenodons
- † Family Nesophontidae: extinct West Indian shrews
- † Family Amphilemuridae
- † Family Nyctitheriidae
- † Family Plesiosoricidae
- Family Erinaceidae[8]
Family-level cladogram of modern eulipotyphlan relationships, following Roca et al. and Brace et al.:[3][11]
| Eulipotyphla | |
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The upper and lower basal subclades within the tree are the suborders Solenodonota and Erinaceota, respectively.[11] These two branches are estimated to have split ~72-74 million years (Ma) ago.[11][6][7] The Nesophontidae and Solenodontidae are thought to have separated roughly 57 Ma ago.[11] Split times for talpids vs. soricids plus erinaceids, and for soricids vs. erinaceids, have been estimated at 69 Ma and 64 Ma ago, respectively.[12]