Earless Seal - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

In the 1980s, phylogenetic analysis of the phocids has led to a few conclusions about the interrelatedness of the various genera. The four genera Hydrurga, Leptonychotes, Lobodon, and Ommatophoca form a monophyletic group, the tribe Lobodontini. Likewise, the Phocinae subfamily (Erignathus, Cystophora, Halichoerus, and Phoca) is also monophyletic. More recently, five species have been split off from Phoca, forming three additional genera. However, the family Monachinae (the lobodonts plus Monachus and Mirounga) is probably paraphyletic.

Superfamily Pinnipedia

• Family Otariidae: Fur seals and sea lions
• Family Odobenidae: Walrus
• Family Phocidae
  • Subfamily Monachinae
    • Tribe Monachini
      • †Monachopsis
      • †Pristiphoca
      • †Properiptychus
      • †Messiphoca
      • †Mesotaria
      • †Callophoca
      • †Pliophoca
      • †Pontophoca
      • Hawaiian monk seal, Monachus schauinslandi
      • Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus
      • †Caribbean monk seal, Monachus tropicalis (probably extinct around 1950)
    • Tribe Miroungini
      • Northern elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
      • Southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina
    • Tribe Lobodontini
      • †Monotherium wymani
      • Ross seal, Ommatophoca rossi
      • Crabeater seal, Lobodon carcinophagus
      • Leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx
      • Weddell seal, Leptonychotes weddellii
    • †Acrophoca longirostris
    • †Piscophoca pacifica
    • †Homiphoca capensis
  • Subfamily Phocinae
    • †Kawas benegasorum
    • †Leptophoca lenis
    • †Preapusa
    • †Cryptophoca
    • Bearded seal, Erignathus barbatus
    • Hooded seal, Cystophora cristata
    • Tribe Phocini
      • Common seal or harbor seal, Phoca vitulina
      • Spotted seal, Phoca largha
      • Ringed seal, Pusa hispida (formerly Phoca hispida)
      • Baikal seal, Pusa sibirica (formerly Phoca sibirica)
      • Caspian seal, Pusa caspica (formerly Phoca caspica)
      • Harp seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus (formerly Phoca groenlandica)
      • Ribbon seal, Histriophoca fasciata (formerly Phoca fasciata)
      • †Phocanella
      • †Platyphoca
      • †Gryphoca
      • Grey seal, Halichoerus grypus