PBDB Taxon

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Stenella

Mammalia - Cetacea - Delphinidae

Taxonomy

Steno (Stenella) was named by Gray (1866) [Sepkoski's age data: T Mi-m T Plio Sepkoski's reference number: 746]. It is extant. It was considered monophyletic by Hassanin et al. (2012).

It was synonymized subjectively with Delphinus by Hassanin et al. (2012); it was reranked as Stenella by Ellerman and Morrisson-Scott (1951), Sherman (1952), Fraser and Purves (1960), Scheffer and Rice (1963), Hershkovitz (1966), Kasuya (1973), Barnes (1977), de Muizon (1988), Carroll (1988), Vidal (1991), McKenna and Bell (1997), Rice (1998), LeDuc et al. (1999), Perrin (2001), Fordyce and de Muizon (2001), Perrin (2002), Sepkoski (2002), Buchholtz and Schur (2004), Mead and Brownell (2005), Agnarsson and May-Collado (2008), Whitmore and Kaltenbach (2008), Uhen et al. (2008), Perrin et al. (2013), Murakami et al. (2014), Manganelli and Benocci (2014), Marx et al. (2016).

It was assigned to Steno by Gray (1866), Palmer (1904); to Cetacea by Sepkoski (2002); to Delphinidae by Ellerman and Morrisson-Scott (1951), Sherman (1952), Hershkovitz (1966), Barnes (1977), Carroll (1988), Rice (1998), Mead and Brownell (2005), Whitmore and Kaltenbach (2008), Uhen et al. (2008), Murakami et al. (2014), Manganelli and Benocci (2014); and to Delphininae by Fraser and Purves (1960), Scheffer and Rice (1963), Kasuya (1973), de Muizon (1988), Vidal (1991), McKenna and Bell (1997), LeDuc et al. (1999), Perrin (2001), Fordyce and de Muizon (2001), Perrin (2002), Buchholtz and Schur (2004), Agnarsson and May-Collado (2008), Perrin et al. (2013), Marx et al. (2016).

Subtaxa

Delphinus attenuatus, S. attenuata (syn. Steno consimilis, Delphinus pseudodelphis, Prodelphinus graffmani, Delphinus albirostratus, Delphinus brevimanus, Delphinus microbrachium, Clymene punctata, Delphinus velox, Steno capensis), S. clymene (syn. Clymenia normalis, Prodelphinus clymene, Clymene normalis), S. coeruleoalba (syn. Delphinus styx, Delphinus asthenops, Delphinus amphitriteus, Delphinus tethyos, Delphinus crotaphiscus, Delphinus marginatus, Tursio dorcides, Delphinus euphrosyne, Clymenia novaezelandiae, Delphinus holbollii, Clymene burmeisteri, Clymenia euphrosynoides, Delphinus mediterraneus, Delphinus lateralis), S. dubia (syn. Delphinus punctatus), S. frontalis (syn. Delphinus frenatus, Delphinus froenatus, Delphinus plagiodon, Delphinus doris, Delphinus (Delphinorhynchus) pernettyi), S. longirostris (syn. Delphinus roseiventris, Delphinus alope, Delphinus stenorhynchus, Delphinus microps), S. rayi

Synonyms

Delphinus dubius was named by Cuvier (1812) [Type locality unknown (Hershkovitz, 1966).]. It is extant. Its type specimen is MNHM unnumbered specimen, a skull.

It was synonymized subjectively with Delphinus euphrosyne by Nilsson (1847); it was recombined as Prodelphinus dubius by Trouessart (1904); it was recombined as Stenella dubia by Hershkovitz (1966); it was considered a nomen dubium by Rice (1998), Jefferson (2021).
Delphinus punctatus was named by Gray (1866). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Stenella dubia by Hershkovitz (1966).
Clymene (Euphrosyne) was named by Gray (1866). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Stenella by Hershkovitz (1966), Archer and Perrin (1999), Mead and Brownell (2005).

It was assigned to Clymene by Gray (1866).
Micropia was named by Gray (1868). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Stenella by Archer and Perrin (1999), Mead and Brownell (2005).
Fretidelphis was named by Iredale and Troughton (1934). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Stenella by Mead and Brownell (2005).
Prodelphinus was named by Van Beneden and Gervais (1880) [Gervais, in Van Benden and Gervais]. It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Stenella by Oliver (1922), Scheffer and Rice (1963), Hershkovitz (1966), Archer and Perrin (1999), Mead and Brownell (2005).

It was assigned to Delphini by Winge (1921); to Delphininae by Weber (1928); and to Delphinidae by Van Beneden and Gervais (1880), Trouessart (1904), Turner (1912), Simpson (1945).
Delphinus (Clymene) was named by Gray (1864). It is extant.

It was reranked as Clymene by Gray (1866); it was replaced with Eudelphinus by Van Beneden and Gervais (1868); it was reranked as Clymenia by Gray (1868), Gray (1870), Gray (1871), Gill (1872); it was synonymized subjectively with Stenella by Hershkovitz (1966), Archer and Perrin (1999), Mead and Brownell (2005).

It was assigned to Delphinus by Gray (1864); to Delphinidae by Gray (1866), Gray (1870); to Delphinina by Gray (1868), Gray (1871); and to Delphininae by Gill (1872).
Delphinus attenuatus was named by Gray (1843). It is extant.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Hershkovitz (1966); it was considered a nomen nudum by Jefferson (2021).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1812	Delphinus dubius Cuvier
1829	Delphinus dubius Fischer p. 506
1843	Delphinus attenuatus Gray p. 105
1850	Delphinus dubius Gray p. 119
1852	Delphinus dubius Gervais p. 150
1864	Delphinus (Clymene) Gray p. 237
1866	Steno (Stenella) Gray p. 213
1866	Clymene Gray p. 214
1866	Clymene (Euphrosyne) Gray p. 214
1866	Delphinus dubius Gray p. 253
1866	Delphinus punctatus Gray p. 398 figs. Figure 101
1868	Micropia Gray
1868	Clymenia Gray p. 6
1870	Clymenia Gray p. 772
1871	Clymenia Gray p. 69
1872	Clymenia Gill p. 95
1873	Delphinus punctatus Scott p. 77
1873	Delphinus dubius Scott p. 78
1880	Prodelphinus Van Beneden and Gervais p. 604
1904	Steno (Stenella) Palmer p. 644
1904	Prodelphinus Trouessart p. 765
1904	Prodelphinus dubius Trouessart p. 766
1912	Prodelphinus Turner p. 137
1921	Prodelphinus Winge p. 36
1928	Prodelphinus Weber p. 389
1934	Fretidelphis Iredale and Troughton p. 65
1945	Prodelphinus Simpson p. 103
1951	Stenella Ellerman and Morrisson-Scott p. 731
1952	Stenella Sherman p. 99
1960	Stenella Fraser and Purves p. 112 figs. Figure 26
1963	Stenella Scheffer and Rice p. 6
1966	Stenella Hershkovitz p. 25
1966	Stenella dubia Hershkovitz p. 31
1973	Stenella Kasuya p. 61
1977	Stenella Barnes p. 323 figs. Table 1
1988	Stenella Carroll
1988	Stenella de Muizon p. 162
1991	Stenella Vidal p. 5
1997	Stenella McKenna and Bell p. 385
1998	Stenella Rice p. 107
1999	Stenella LeDuc et al. p. 639 figs. Figure 2
2001	Stenella Fordyce and de Muizon p. 179
2001	Stenella Perrin p. 1
2002	Stenella Perrin p. 1
2002	Stenella Sepkoski
2004	Stenella Buchholtz and Schur p. 384 figs. Figure 1
2005	Stenella Mead and Brownell p. 733
2008	Stenella Agnarsson and May-Collado p. 981 figs. Fig. 2
2008	Stenella Uhen et al. p. 593
2008	Stenella Whitmore and Kaltenbach p. 222
2013	Stenella Perrin et al. p. 571 figs. Table 1
2014	Stenella Manganelli and Benocci p. 107
2014	Stenella Murakami et al. p. 492 figs. Table 1
2016	Stenella Marx et al. p. 140

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
subclass	Synapsida
—	Therapsida	()
infraorder	Cynodontia	()
—	Mammaliamorpha
—	Mammaliaformes
class	Mammalia

Rank	Name	Author
—	Cladotheria
—	Zatheria
subclass	Tribosphenida	()
subclass	Theria
—	Eutheria	()
—	Placentalia
—	Boreoeutheria
—	Laurasiatheria
—	Scrotifera
—	Euungulata
—	Artiodactylamorpha
—	Artiodactyla	()
—	Whippomorpha
order	Cetacea
—	Pelagiceti
—	Neoceti
suborder	Odontoceti
infraorder	Delphinida
superfamily	Delphinoidea
family	Delphinidae
subfamily	Delphininae
genus	Stenella	()

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. Stenella Gray 1866

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Stenella attenuata Gray 1846 [pantropical spotted dolphin]

Invalid names: Clymene punctata Gray 1866 [synonym], Delphinus albirostratus Peale 1848 [synonym], Delphinus brevimanus Wagner 1846 [synonym], Delphinus microbrachium Gray 1850 [synonym], Delphinus pseudodelphis Wiegmann 1840 [synonym], Delphinus velox Cuvier 1829 [synonym], Prodelphinus graffmani Lonnberg 1934 [synonym], Steno capensis Gray 1866 [synonym], Steno consimilis Malm 1871 [synonym]

Stenella clymene Gray 1850

Invalid names: Clymene normalis Gray 1866 [synonym], Clymenia normalis Gray 1868 [synonym], Prodelphinus clymene Lutken 1889 [synonym]

Stenella coeruleoalba Meyen 1833

Invalid names: Clymene burmeisteri Malm 1871 [synonym], Clymenia euphrosynoides Gray 1868 [synonym], Clymenia novaezelandiae Hector 1873 [synonym], Delphinus amphitriteus Philippi 1893 [synonym], Delphinus asthenops Cope 1865 [synonym], Delphinus crotaphiscus Cope 1865 [synonym], Delphinus euphrosyne Gray 1846 [synonym], Delphinus holbollii Nilsson 1847 [synonym], Delphinus lateralis Peale 1848 [synonym], Delphinus marginatus Duvernoy 1857 [synonym], Delphinus mediterraneus Loche 1860 [synonym], Delphinus styx Gray 1846 [synonym], Delphinus tethyos Gervais 1853 [synonym], Tursio dorcides Gray 1866 [synonym]

Stenella frontalis Cuvier 1829

Invalid names: Delphinus (Delphinorhynchus) pernettyi Blainville 1817 [replaced], Delphinus doris Gray 1846 [synonym], Delphinus frenatus Gray 1846 [synonym], Delphinus froenatus Cuvier 1836 [synonym], Delphinus plagiodon Cope 1866 [synonym]

Stenella longirostris Gray 1828

Invalid names: Delphinus alope Gray 1850 [synonym], Delphinus microps Gray 1846 [synonym], Delphinus roseiventris Wagner 1846 [synonym], Delphinus stenorhynchus Gray 1866 [synonym]

†Stenella rayi Whitmore and Kaltenbach 2008

Invalid names: Clymenia Gray 1864 [synonym], Delphinus attenuatus Gray 1843 [nomen nudum], Euphrosyne Gray 1866 [synonym], Fretidelphis Iredale and Troughton 1934 [synonym], Micropia Gray 1868 [synonym], Prodelphinus Van Beneden and Gervais 1880 [synonym], Stenella dubia Cuvier 1812 [nomen dubium]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

part	N	mean

Composition:

hydroxyapatitesubo

Form:

roller-shapedo

Ontogeny:

modification of partso

Environment:

marine, freshwatersubo

Locomotion:

actively mobileo

Life habit:

aquatico

Depth habitat:

surfaceo

Diet:

piscivoref

Diet 2:

carnivoref

Reproduction:

viviparoussubo

Created:

2005-06-08 10:11:09

Modified:

2005-06-08 12:11:09

Source: f = family, subo = suborder, o = order

References: Uhen 2004, Nowak 1991

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Tortonian to the top of the Holocene or 11.63000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 5.333 Ma

Collections (27 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Neogene	23.04 - 2.58	Madagascar	S. sp. (55451)
Tortonian - Messinian	11.63 - 5.333	Peru	S. sp. (46083)
Zanclean	5.333 - 3.6	USA (North Carolina)	S. sp., S. rayi (52582)
Zanclean	5.333 - 3.6	Netherlands (Noord-Brabant)	S. sp. (89447)
Pliocene	5.333 - 2.58	Mexico (Baja California)	S. sp. (57981)
Pliocene	5.333 - 2.58	Mexico (Baja California Sur)	S. sp. (57779 57979)
Piacenzian	3.6 - 2.58	Italy	S. sp. (52065)
Piacenzian	3.6 - 2.58	Peru	S. sp. (219058)
Piacenzian	3.6 - 2.58	USA (California)	S. sp. (52218)
Early/Lower Pleistocene	2.58 - 0.774	Japan (Kanagawa)	S. sp. (76023)
Early/Lower Pleistocene	2.58 - 0.774	Japan	S. sp. (38499)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Chile	S. attenuata (168101)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	India	S. attenuata (168103)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Mexico	Prodelphinus graffmani (86887) S. attenuata (168100)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	French Polynesia (Loyalty Islands)	S. longirostris (83500)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	USA (Florida)	S. clymene (230222)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Panama	S. sp. (179577)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Vanuatu	S. longirostris (83501)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Cape Verde	Delphinus frontalis (86886)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	USA (North Carolina)	S. attenuata (168098)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Tanzania	S. attenuata (168102)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Japan (Kyoto)	S. longirostris (76042)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	French Polynesia	S. longirostris (68030)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Uruguay	Delphinus coeruleoalbus (86873)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Brazil	S. attenuata (168099)