Kingdom Animalia Order Artiodactyla Family Delphinidae Scientific name Cephalorhynchus Rank Genus | Phylum Chordata Infraorder Cetacea Subfamily Cephalorhynchinae Higher classification Oceanic dolphin | |
 | ||
Lower classifications Commerson's dolphin, Chilean dolphin, Heaviside's dolphin, Maui's dolphin | ||
Commerson s dolphin cephalorhynchus commersonii
Cephalorhynchus is a genus in the dolphin family Delphinidae. It consists of four species:
The species have similar physical features—they are small, generally playful, blunt-nosed dolphins—but they are found in distinct geographical locations.
A phylogenetic analysis by May-Collado & Agnarsson 2006 indicated the two species traditionally assigned to the genus Lagenorhynchus, the hourglass dolphin L. cruciger and Peale's dolphin L. australis are actually phylogenetically nested among the species of Cephalorhynchus, and they suggest these two species should be transferred to the genus Cephalorhynchus. Some acoustic and morphological data support this arrangement, at least with respect to Peale's dolphin.
According to Schevill & Watkins 1971, Peale's dolphin and the Cephalorhynchus species are the only dolphins that do not whistle (no acoustic data are available for the hourglass dolphin). Peale's dolphin also shares with several Cephalorhynchus species the possession of a distinct white "armpit" marking behind the pectoral fin.