ZIPHIINAE Gray, 1850

Bianucci, Giovanni, Lambert, Olivier & Post, Klaas, 2007, A high diversity in fossil beaked whales (Mammalia, Odontoceti, Ziphiidae) recovered by trawling from the sea floor off South Africa, Geodiversitas 29 (4), pp. 561-618 : 570

Subfamily ZIPHIINAE Gray, 1850

TYPE GENUS. — Ziphius Cuvier, 1823 .

OTHER GENERA INCLUDED. — Aporotus , Beneziphius , Caviziphius , Choneziphius , Messapicetus , Tusciziphius , Ziphirostrum and Izikoziphius n. gen.

EMENDED DIAGNOSIS. — The subfamily Ziphiinae differs from all other Ziphiidae in having the contact between nasal and premaxillary crest reduced and the transverse premaxillary crest directed anterolaterally. It further differs from the Berardiinae in the lack of a nodular interparietal on the vertex, from the Hyperoodontinae , Khoikhoicetus n. gen., Pterocetus n. gen., Xhosacetus n. gen. (three new genera described below), and Tasmacetus in the lack of an intrusion of the nasal into the narrow premaxillary crest.