The Afroinsectiphilia (African insectivores) is a proposed clade whose existence has been hypothesized as the result of recent DNA and molecular analysis. Many of its orders were once regarded as part of the order Insectivora, but this order now seems polyphyletic and is, as a result, possibly obsolete. The golden moles and tenrecs are part of this clade. Some also regard the elephant shrews and aardvarks as part of it, although these two order are traditionally seen as primitive ungulates. The sister group of the Afroinsectiphilia are the Paenungulata, which are also traditionally regarded as ungulates. This proposed classification is only based on DNA and molecular research, and there is no morphological evidence for it. Families Erinaceidae Soricidae Talpidae Solenodontidae The biological order Insectivora in the past was used as a scrapbasket for a variety of small to very small, relatively unspecialized, insectivorous mammals. ... In biology, a taxon is polyphyletic if it is descended from more than one root form (in Greek poly = many and phyletic = racial). ... Genera Golden moles are small, insectivorous burrowing mammals native to southern Africa. ... Subfamilies  Oryzorictinae  Potamogalinae  Tenrecinae Tenrecidae (common name tenrecs) is a family of mammals found on Madagascar and parts of western Africa. ... Genera  Rhynchocyon  Petrodromus  Macroscelides  Elephantulus The small insectivorous mammals endemic to Africa known as elephant shrews are neither elephants nor shrews and, more formally, are the members of the biological order Macroscelidea. ... Binomial name Orycteropus afer (Pallas, 1766) The Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is a medium-sized mammal native to Africa. ... Llamas such as this, which have two toes, are artiodactylas -- even toed ungulates Ungulates (meaning roughly hoofed or hoofed animal) make up several orders of mammals, of which six to eight survive. ... Paenungulata is a superorder that groups some remarkable mammals constituting three orders: Proboscidea (Elephants) Sirenia (Sea cows and manatees) Hyracoidea (Hyraxes, such as the African Rock Hyrax, Procavia habessinica) All three still exist but the Paenungulata once had at least two additional orders, namely: Embrithopoda Desmostylia Both of these were... Morphology is a subdiscipline of linguistics that studies word structure. ...

If the clade of Afrotheria is genuine, than the Afroinsectophilia are the closest relatives of the Pseudungulata (here regarded as part of Afroinsectophilia) and the Paenungulata. In a classification governed by morphological data, both the Pseudungulata and Paenungulata are seen as true ungulates thus not related to Afroinsectopilia. In this classification, the Afroinsectophilia are part of Insectivora. However, DNA research is thought to provide a more fundamental classification. Ungulates (meaning roughly hoofed or hoofed animal) make up several orders of mammals, of which six survive: Artiodactyla: even-toed ungulates, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, antelope, and many others Cetacea: whales and dolphins (which evolved from hoofed land animals) Perissodactyla: odd-toed ungulates such as horses and rhinos Proboscidea: elephants... Families Erinaceidae Soricidae Talpidae Solenodontidae The biological order Insectivora in the past was used as a scrapbasket for a variety of small to very small, relatively unspecialized, insectivorous mammals. ...

• INFRACLASS EUTHERIA: placental mammals
  • Superorder Afrotheria (?)
    • Clade Afroinsectiphilia
      • Order Afrosoricida
        • Suborder Tenrecomorpha
          • Family Tenrecidae: tenrecs and otter shrews; 30 species in 10 genera
        • Suborder Chrysochloridea
          • Family Chrysochloridae: golden moles; about 21 species in 9 genera
    • Clade Pseudungulata (according to most recent data part of Afroinsectiphilia)
      • Order Macroscelidea: elephant shrews
      • Order Tubulidentata: Aardvark
    • Clade Paenungulata