Mammalia - Tribosphenida - Zhelestidae
Parent taxon: Eutheria according to J. R. Wible et al. 2007
See also Archibald 1998, Archibald and Averianov 2005, Archibald and Averianov 2012, Averianov 1997, Averianov and Archibald 2005, Kielan-Jaworowska et al. 2004, Nessov et al. 1998 and Wang 1995
Sister taxa: Acristatherium, Adapisoriculidae, Ambolestes, Asioryctidae, Asioryctitheria, Bibymalagasia, Cimolesta, Didymoconida, Durlstodon, Durlstotherium, Endotherium, Eomaia, Heptaconodon, Heptaconodon dubium, Holoclemensiidae, Horolodectidae, Hovurlestes, Indoclemensia, Juramaia, Kennalestoidea, Leptictida, Meridiungulata, Mingotheriidae, Montanalestes, Mutica, Nanocuridae, Notopterna, Palaeorycteropus, Paranyctoides, Paraxonia, Placentalia, Proteutheria, Prozalambdalestes, Quadripedes, Sahnitherium, Sazlestes, Sinodelphys, Taeniodonta, Tamirtheria, Therictoidea, Trogontia, Zalambdalestoidea
Subtaxa: Alostera Aspanlestes Avitotherium Azilestes Beleutinus Beleutinus orlovi Borisodon Eozhelestes Gallolestes Kumsuperus Lainodontinae Mistralestes Oxlestes Parazhelestes Sheikhdzheilia Sorlestes Valentinella Zhalmouzia Zhelestes
Ecology: scansorial insectivore
Distribution:
• Cretaceous of Canada (3: Alberta, Saskatchewan collections), France (5), Japan (1), Kazakhstan (5), Madagascar (1), Mexico (1), Spain (3), Turkey (1), United States (8: Montana, Texas, Utah, Wyoming), Uzbekistan (16)
• Jurassic of Bulgaria (1), Italy (1), Romania (2), Turkey (2)
Total: 50 collections including 67 occurrences