Orcaella

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Snubfin Dolphins
Australian Snubfin Dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni
Australian Snubfin Dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Orcaella
Gray, 1866
Distribution of genus Orcaella
Distribution of genus Orcaella
Species

Orcaella brevirostris
Orcaella heinsohni

The Snubfin Dolphins (Orcaella) are a genus of dolphins, long believed to be monotypic, the only species being the Irrawaddy Dolphin. However in 2005 genetic analysis showed that the Australian Snubfin Dolphin is a second species closely related to the Irrawaddy dolphin. Recent molecular analyses indicate that the genus Orcaella is closely related to the orca of the genus Orcinus, the two of them together forming the subfamily Orcininae.

[edit] References

  • LeDuc, R.G., Perrin, W.F., Dizon, A.E. (1999). Phylogenetic relationships among the delphinid cetaceans based on full cytochrome b sequences. Marine Mammal Science 15, 619–648.
  • May-Collado, L., Agnarsson, I. (2006). Cytochrome b and Bayesian inference of whale phylogeny. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38, 344-354.

[edit] External links