Arctocephalus

Arctocephalus
New Zealand fur seal
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Pinnipedia
Family:	Otariidae
Subfamily:	Arctocephalinae
Genus:	Arctocephalus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire & F. Cuvier in F. Cuvier, 1826
Type species
Phoca pusilla Schreber, 1775
Species
Arctocephalus gazella Arctocephalus townsendi Arctocephalus philippii Arctocephalus galapagoensis Arctocephalus pusillus Arctocephalus forsteri Arctocephalus tropicalis Arctocephalus australis

The genus Arctocephalus consists of eight of the nine species of fur seal. 'Arctocephalus' = bear head.

Taxonomy

• Genus Arctocephalus
  • Antarctic fur seal, A. gazella
  • Guadalupe fur seal, A. townsendi
  • Juan Fernández fur seal, A. philippii
  • Galápagos fur seal, A. galapagoensis
  • Brown fur seal (or Cape fur seal), A. pusillus
  • New Zealand fur seal, A. forsteri (validity questionable - see below)
  • Subantarctic fur seal, A. tropicalis
  • South American fur seal, A. australis

The number of species within the genus has been questioned, primarily based on limited molecular data. The issue is complicated because some of the species are able to produce fertile hybrids. A recent review recommended the retention of seven species, deprecating the New Zealand fur seals to a subspecies of the South American fur seal, while also questioning the status of the Guadalupe fur seal. Other recent studies have indicated the genus may be paraphyletic. In that case, all species (except for the Cape fur seal) will have to be split off into a separate genus, for which the name Arctophoca has been suggested.