Diplomesodon
Genus of mammal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diplomesodon is a genus of shrew that contains a single extant species, the piebald shrew (Diplomesodon pulchellus).
,_Gescheckte_Wüstenspitzmaus,_Piebald_Shrew,_Московский_зоопарк_(Moscow_zoo),_18.11.2008.jpg)
| Diplomesodon Temporal range: Early Pleistocene - Recent | |
|---|---|
| |
| Piebald shrew (Diplomesodon pulchellus). | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Soricidae |
| Subfamily: | Crocidurinae |
| Genus: | Diplomesodon Brandt, 1852 |
| Species | |
| |
Taxonomy
An extinct species named Diplomesodon fossorius is known from the Early Pleistocene of South Africa, very distant from the current Caspian region distribution of the piebald shrew.[1]
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.[2] 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.[3] The American Society of Mammalogists considers D. sonnerati to be a subspecies of the piebald shrew, if it exists.[4]