Callophoca is an extinct genus of earless seals from the late Miocene to early Pliocene of Belgium and the US Eastern Seaboard.
Callophoca Temporal range:
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Clade: | Pinnipedia |
Family: | Phocidae |
Subfamily: | Monachinae |
Genus: | †Callophoca van Beneden, 1876 |
Species | |
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The type and only species of Callophoca is C. obscura.[1] Mesotaria ambigua, based on the lectotype humerus IRSNB 1156-M177, is a synonym. Although numerous non-humeral bones have been assigned to Callophoca, they are best considered Monachinae indet. pending further study because they have been found, isolated, leaving the M. ambigua lectotype, IRSNB 1116-M188, IRSNB VERT-17172-301b, and USNM 186944 the only unambiguous referred specimens of Callophoca.[2]