Delphinoidea is the largest group of
toothed whale
The toothed whales (also called odontocetes, systematic name Odontoceti) are a parvorder of cetaceans that includes dolphins, porpoises, and all other whales possessing teeth, such as the beaked whales and sperm whales. Seventy-three species of ...
s with 66 genera in 6 families. The largest living member of the superfamily is the
killer whale
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...
, which can reach 6
ton
Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses.
Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean
* the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds
...
s, while the smallest is the
vaquita
The vaquita ( ; ''Phocoena sinus'') is a species of porpoise endemic to the northern end of the Gulf of California in Baja California, Mexico. Averaging (females) or (males) in length, it is the smallest of all living cetaceans. The species i ...
.
Taxonomy
Based on McGowen ''et al''., 2019
Superfamily Delphinoidea
:Family †
Albireonidae
Albireonidae is a monotypic group of extinct porpoise-like whales containing the single genus ''Albireo
Albireo is a double star designated Beta Cygni (β Cygni, abbreviated Beta Cyg, β Cyg). The International Astronomical Unio ...
:::Genus ''
Albireo''
:Family
Delphinidae
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 ...
:: Subfamily
Delphininae
::: Genus ''
Delphinus
Delphinus (Pronounced or ) is a small constellation in the Northern Celestial Hemisphere, close to the celestial equator. Its name is the Latin version for the Greek word for dolphin (). It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd c ...
''
::: Genus ''
Lagenodelphis''
::: Genus ''
Sotalia
The dolphin genus ''Sotalia'' is considered to have two member species with the classification of '' Sotalia guianensis'' as a distinct species from '' Sotalia fluviatilis'' in 2007. This was a result of recent morphometric analyses, as well as m ...
''
:::Genus ''
Sousa''
::: Genus ''
Stenella''
::: Genus ''
Tursiops''
:: Subfamily
Globicephalinae
Globicephalinae is a subfamily of oceanic dolphins that includes the pilot whales (''Globicephala'' spp.), the pygmy killer whale (''Feresa attenuata''), the rough-toothed dolphin (''Steno bredanensis''), the false killer whale (''Pseudorca cra ...
::: Genus †''
Astadelphis''
::: Genus ''
Feresa''
::: Genus ''
Globicephala''
::: Genus ''
Grampus
Grampus may refer to:
Animals
*''Grampus'', the genus and another name for Risso's dolphin, ''Grampus griseus''
*A synonym of the genus ''Orcinus''
*Another name for ''Orcinus orca'', the killer whale or orca
*Another name for the hellbender, a sp ...
''
::: Genus ''
Orcaella''
::: Genus ''
Peponocephala''
::: Genus ''
Pseudorca
''Pseudorca'' is a genus of cetaceans with three members which include ''Pseudorca yokoyamai'', ''Pseudorca yuanliensis'' and ''Pseudorca crassidens
''Pseudorca'' is a genus of cetacea
Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals tha ...
''
::: Genus ''
Steno''
::Subfamily
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 ...
::: Genus ''
Cephalorhynchus
''Cephalorhynchus'' is a genus in the dolphin family Delphinidae.
Extant species
It consists of four species:
The species have similar physical features—they are small, generally playful, blunt-nosed dolphins—but they are found in di ...
''
::: Genus ''
Lissodelphis''
:: Subfamily
Orcininae
Orcininae is a contested subfamily of oceanic dolphins composed of 1 living and 3 extinct genera. It may be superseded by Delphinidae. Its only extant member is the orca (''Orcinus orca''); all other extant genera formerly classified in it have b ...
::: Genus †''
Arimidelphis''
::: Genus †''
Eodelphinus
''Eodelphinus'' is an extinct genus of oceanic dolphins belonging to the family Delphinidae.
Description
''Eodelphinus'' differs from all other delphinids by having a medially positioned premaxillary foramen, a partially transversely directed su ...
''
::: Genus †''
''
::: Genus ''
Orcinus
''Orcinus'' is a genus of Delphinidae, the family of carnivorous marine mammals known as dolphins. It includes the largest delphinid species, ''Orcinus orca'', known as the orca or killer whale. Two extinct species are recognised, '' Orcinus pale ...
''
:: Subfamily incertae sedis
::: Genus †''
Australodelphis''
::: Genus †''
Etruridelphis''
:::Genus ''
Lagenorhynchus
''Lagenorhynchus'' is a genus of oceanic dolphins in the infraorder Cetacea, presently containing six extant species. However, there is consistent molecular evidence that the genus is polyphyletic and several of the species are likely to be move ...
''
::: Genus †''
Sinanodelphis''
:Family †
Kentriodontidae
Kentriodontidae is an extinct family of odontocete whales related to modern dolphins. The Kentriodontidae lived from the Oligocene to the Pliocene before going extinct.
Taxonomy
Kentriodontids have been variously divided into three or four sub ...
:: Subfamily
Kentriodontinae
::: Genus ''
Belonodelphis''
::: Genus ''
Delphinodon''
::: Genus ''
Heterodelphis''
::: Genus ''
Incacetus''?
::: Genus ''
Kentriodon''
::: Genus ''
Lamprolithax''
::: Genus ''
Loxolithax''
::: Genus ''
Macrokentriodon''
::: Genus ''
Microphocaena''
::: Genus ''
Rudicetus''
::: Genus ''
Tagicetus''
:: Subfamily Lophocetinae
::: Genus ''
Hadrodelphis''
::: Genus ''
Liolithax''
::: Genus ''
Lophocetus
''Lophocetus'' ("crested whale") is an extinct genus of dolphin belonging to the clade Delphinida that is known from late Miocene (Tortonian) marine deposits in California and Maryland. Although usually placed in Kentriodontidae, recent studies h ...
''
:: Subfamily Pithanodelphininae?
::: Genus ''
Atocetus''?
::: Genus ''
Leptodelphis''?
::: Genus ''
Pithanodelphis''?
::: Genus ''
Sarmatodelphis''?
::: Genus ''
Sophianacetus''?
:: Subfamily Kampholophinae?
::: Genus ''
Kampholophos''?
:Family
Monodontidae
The cetacean family Monodontidae comprises two living whale species, the narwhal and the beluga whale and at least four extinct species, known from the fossil record. Beluga and Narwhal are native to coastal regions and pack ice around the Arctic ...
:: Subfamily
Delphinapterinae
::: Genus †''
Bohaskaia
''Bohaskaia'' is an extinct genus of beluga-like odontocete cetacean known from the Early Pliocene of Virginia and North Carolina, United States. It was first named by Jorge Vélez-Juarbe and Nicholas D. Pyenson in 2012 and the type species
I ...
''
::: Genus ''
Delphinapterus
The beluga whale () (''Delphinapterus leucas'') is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus ''Delphinapterus''. It is also known as the whi ...
''
::: Genus † ''
Denebola
Denebola is the second-brightest star in the zodiac constellation of Leo.The two components of the γ Leonis double star, which are unresolved to the naked eye, have a combined magnitude brighter than it. It has the Bayer designatio ...
''
:: Subfamily
Monodontinae
::: Genus ''
Monodon''
:Family †
Odobenocetopsidae
:: Genus ''
Odobenocetops
''Odobenocetops'' () is an extinct genus of small toothed whale known from Peru and Chile. Its fossils are found in Neogene-aged marine strata dating from the Tortonian to the Zanclean. It had two tusks, and, in some fossils, one tusk was longer t ...
''
:Family
Phocoenidae
:: Genus †''
Archaeophocaena''
:: Genus †''
Australithax''
:: Genus †''
Brabocetus''
:: Genus †''
Haborophocoena''
:: Genus †''
Lomacetus''
:: Genus †''
Miophocaena''
:: Genus ''
Neophocaena''
:: Genus †''
Numataphocoena''
:: Genus ''
Phocoena
''Phocoena'' is a genus of porpoises with four extant species:
References
External links
*
*''Phocoena''in ''Mammal Species of the World
''Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference'' is a standard reference work in ...
''
:: Genus ''
Phocoenoides''
:: Genus †''
Piscolithax''
:: Genus †''
Pterophocaena''
:: Genus †''
Salumiphocaena''
:: Genus †''
Semirostrum''
:: Genus †''
Septemtriocetus''
:Familia incertae sedis
:: Genus †''
Graamocetus''
:: Genus †''
Miodelphis''
:: Genus †''
Nannolithax''
:: Genus †''
Oedolithax''
:: Genus †''
Palaeophocaena''
:: Genus †''
Platylithax''
:: Genus †''
Protodelphinus''
References
Toothed whales
Extant Oligocene first appearances
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