The order Soricomorpha ("shrew-form") is a taxon within the class of Mammals. In the past it formed a significant group within the former order Insectivora. However, that order was shown to be polyphyletic and various new orders were split off from it, including Afrosoricida (Tenrecs and Golden Moles), Macroscelidea (Elephant Shrews), and Erinaceomorpha (Hedgehogs and Gymnures), leaving just four families as shown here, leaving Insectivora empty and disbanded.
Subsequently, Soricomorpha itself was shown to be paraphyletic, because Soricidae shared a more recent common ancestor with Erinaceidae than with other soricomorphs. The combination of Soricomorpha and Erinaceidae, referred to as order Eulipotyphla, has been shown to be monophyletic.
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