Diplomesodon Fossorius
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Diplomesodon'' is a genus of
shrew Shrews (family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to different fa ...
that contains a single extant species, the piebald shrew ''(Diplomesodon pulchellum)''.


Taxonomy

An extinct species named '' Diplomesodon fossorius'' is known from the
Early Pleistocene The Early Pleistocene is an unofficial sub-epoch in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, being the earliest division of the Pleistocene Epoch within the ongoing Quaternary Period. It is currently estimated to span the time ...
of
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, very distant from the current
Caspian region The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
distribution of the piebald shrew. Another potential member of this genus is the enigmatic Sonnerat's shrew ''(Diplomesodon sonnerati)'' which is known from no physical remains and has been described based solely on a 19th century manuscript. Its status as a valid taxon is contentious, and even if it is indeed valid, the lack of any physical material indicates that it most likely has gone extinct.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10755837 Shrews Mammal genera Mammal genera with one living species