Diplomesodon

Diplomesodon is a genus of shrew that contains a single extant species, the piebald shrew .

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.
Another potential member of this genus is the enigmatic Sonnerat's shrew 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. The American [Society of Mammalogists] considers D. sonnerati to be a subspecies of the piebald shrew, if it exists.