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Sagmatias
''Sagmatias'' was a genus of Dolphin, dolphins, defined in 1866 by Edward Drinker Cope with Peale's dolphin as type species, described as ''Sagmatias amblodon''. It has been proposed to resurrect the genus to include four species of oceanic dolphins currently classified in the genus ''Lagenorhynchus''. Mitochondrial DNA studies have indicated that Pacific white-sided dolphin, Peale's dolphin, dusky dolphin and hourglass dolphin are more closely related to dolphins in the Lissodelphininae subfamily, than to the two other members of the genus: Atlantic white-sided dolphin and white-beaked dolphin. This phylogenetic relationship is further supported by cladistic analysis of morphological characters. However, resurrection of the genus ''Sagmatias'' has not been accepted by the Society for Marine Mammalogy's taxonomic Committee, because the finer details of the phylogenetic relationships between the four species in the proposed ''Sagmatias'' genus and the four species of dolphins in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lissodelphininae
Oceanic dolphins or Delphinidae are a widely distributed family of dolphins that live in the sea. Close to forty extant species are recognised. They include several big species whose common names contain "whale" rather than "dolphin", such as the Globicephalinae (round-headed whales including the orca and pilot whale). Delphinidae is a family within the superfamily Delphinoidea, which also includes the porpoises (Phocoenidae) and the Monodontidae (beluga whale and narwhal). River dolphins are relatives of the Delphinoidea. Oceanic dolphins range in size from the and Maui's dolphin to the and orca, the largest known dolphin. Several species exhibit sexual dimorphism; the males are larger than females. They have streamlined bodies and two limbs that are modified into flippers. Though not quite as flexible as seals, some dolphins can travel at speeds 29 km/h (18 mph) for short distances. Most delphinids primarily eat fish, along with a smaller number of squid and small ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
