| Snubfin dolphins | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Australian Snubfin Dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cetacea |
| Family: | Delphinidae |
| Genus: | Orcaella Gray, 1866 |
| Species | |
 |
|
| Distribution of genus Orcaella | |
The snubfin dolphins (Orcaella) are a genus of dolphins containing two members: the Irrawaddy Dolphin and Australian Snubfin Dolphin. The genus was long believed to be monotypic with the only species being the Irrawaddy Dolphin; however, in 2005, genetic analysis showed that the Australian Snubfin Dolphin is closely related. 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.