Orcaella

Snubfin dolphins
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Cetacea
Family:	Delphinidae
Genus:	Orcaella Gray, 1866
Species
Orcaella brevirostris Orcaella heinsohni
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.

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.