Callophoca

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: late Miocene–early Pliocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Caniformia
Parvorder:	Pinnipedia
Family:	Phocidae
Subfamily:	Monachinae
Genus:	†Callophoca van Beneden, 1876
Species
C. obscura van Beneden, 1876 (type species)

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]