Balaenella

Extinct genus of mammals

Balaenella Temporal range: early Pliocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	Balaenidae
Genus:	†Balaenella Bisconti, 2005
Species
†B. brachyrhynchus Bisconti, 2005 (type)

Balaenella is an extinct genus of balaenid from the early Pliocene of the vicinity of Antwerp, Belgium. Its type species is Balaena brachyrhynchus.

Classification

A cladistic analysis of Balaenidae places Balaenella as the sister taxon of the bowhead whale in a clade separate from right whales.^[1]

^ Bisconti, M. (2005). "Skull Morphology and Phylogenetic Relationships of a New Diminutive Balaenid from the Lower Pliocene of Belgium". Palaeontology 48 (4): 793–816. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2005.00488.x. edit

Genera of baleen whales and their extinct allies

Chaeomysticeti

†Eomysticetoidea

Balaenomorpha

Thalassotherii

†Aglaocetidae

†Diorocetidae

†Tranatocetidae

†Cephalotropis †Journocetus †Otradnocetus †Palaeobalaena? †Titanocetus? †Tiucetus
†Cetotheriinae	Brandtocetus Cetotherium Ciuciulea Eucetotherium Kurdalagonus Mithridatocetus Vampalus Zygiocetus
Herpetocetinae	Caperea †Herentalia †Herpetocetus †Metopocetus †Miocaperea †Nannocetus †Piscobalaena

†Eobalaenoptera
Balaenopteridae	†Archaebalaenoptera †Archaeschrichtius Balaenoptera †Burtinopsis? †Cetoteriophanes †Diunatans †Eschrichtioides Eschrichtius †Gricetoides †Incakujira Megaptera †Megapteropsis? †Miobalaenoptera †Nehalaennia †Notiocetus †Parabalaenoptera †Plesiobalaenoptera †Plesiocetus †Praemegaptera †Protororqualus