Eulipotyphla

Eulipotyphla (, which means "truly fat and blind" ) 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 comprises the hedgehogs and gymnures (family Erinaceidae, formerly also the order Erinaceomorpha), solenodons (family Solenodontidae), the desmans, moles, 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.

A 2023 study suggested that the order began to diversify prior to the K-Pg extinction, based on molecular clock estimates.

Classification


Family-level cladogram of modern eulipotyphlan relationships, following Roca et al. and Brace et al.:
 * Order Eulipotyphla (= 'Lipotyphla' - Afrosoricida = 'Erinaceomorpha' + 'Soricomorpha')
 * Family Erinaceidae
 * Subfamily Erinaceinae: hedgehogs
 * Subfamily Galericinae: gymnures or moonrats
 * Family Soricidae
 * Subfamily Crocidurinae: white-toothed shrews
 * Subfamily Soricinae: red-toothed shrews
 * Subfamily Myosoricinae: African white-toothed shrews
 * Family Talpidae
 * 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

The upper and lower basal subclades within the tree are the suborders Solenodonota and Erinaceota, respectively. These two branches are estimated to have split ~72–74 million years (Ma) ago. The Nesophontidae and Solenodontidae are thought to have separated roughly 57 Ma ago. Split times for talpids vs. soricids plus erinaceids, and for soricids vs. erinaceids, have been estimated at 69 Ma and 64 Ma ago, respectively.