Nesophontidae Anthony 1916

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Soricomorpha, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 1, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 220-311 : 220

Nesophontidae Anthony 1916

Nesophontidae Anthony 1916 , Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 35: 725.

Genera: 1 genus with 9 species:

Genus Nesophontes Anthony 1916 (9 species)

Discussion: Known mainly from sub-Recent fossils from the Greater Antilles. Remains of a Nesophontes sized mammal were found in a piece of late Oligocene/early Miocene Dominican amber ( MacPhee and Grimaldi, 1996). One genus and nine taxa have been named; Hall (1981) recognized six and Morgan and Woods (1986) eight species. Efforts to locate surviving populations have been unsuccessful ( Woods et al., 1985). MacPhee et al. (1999) concluded that the genus has probably been extinct for five hundred years or more, although Fischer (1977) speculated about a more recent survival. The relationships of the Nesophontidae to the Solenodontidae are not well established. Van Valen (1967) placed the Nesophontidae near the Soricidae in the order Insectivora , and the Solenodontidae near the Tenrecidae in the order Deltatheria . Whidden and Asher (2001) reviewed the relevant literature and discussed biogeographical hypotheses to explain the presence of Nesophontes and Solenodon in the West Indies. Comprehensive cladistic analyses ( Asher, 1999, Asher et al., 2002) of up to 118 morphological characters found support for affinities between Solenodon and Nesophontes , and also between the two Carribean taxa and tenrecs.