Afroinsectiphilia

Afroinsectiphilia; Temporal range: Late Paleocene - Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Tailless tenrec
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Superorder:	Afrotheria
Grandorder:	Afroinsectiphilia
Orders
	Afrosoricida; Macroscelidea; Tubulidentata; †Ptolemaiida;
	Red: Macroscelidea

The Afroinsectiphilia (African

polyphyletic and obsolete. This proposed classification is based on molecular studies only, and there is no morphological evidence for it.^[2]

The

otter shrews and tenrecs are part of this clade. Some also regard the elephant shrews and aardvarks as part of it, although these two orders were traditionally seen as primitive ungulates. The sister group of the Afroinsectiphilia is the Paenungulata

, which were also traditionally regarded as ungulates.

If the clade of Afrotheria is genuine, then the Afroinsectiphilia are the closest relatives of the

ungulates

Additionally, there might be some dental synapomorphies uniting afroinsectiphilians: p4 talonid and trigonid of similar breadth, a prominent p4 hypoconid, presence of a P4 metacone and absence of parastyles on M1–2. Additional features uniting

tubulidentates specifically include hypsodont molars that wear down to a flat surface; a long and shallow mandible with an elongated symphyseal region; and trigonids and talonids that are separated by lateral constrictions.^[3]^[4]