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Neophocaena phocaenoides (finless porpoise)

Mammalia - Cetacea - Phocoenidae

Taxonomy
Delphinus phocaenoides was named by Cuvier (1829). It is extant. Its type specimen is MDHN 3086, a skull. Its type locality is Cape of Good Hope, which is in a Holocene coastal horizon in South Africa. It is the type species of Neophocaena.

It was recombined as Neomeris phocaenoides by Gray (1846), Gray (1850), Gray (1866), Gray (1868) and Turner (1912); it was recombined as Neophocaena phocaenoides by Palmer (1899), Trouessart (1904), Scheffer and Rice (1963), Hershkovitz (1966), Rice (1998), Mead and Brownell (2005), Fajardo-Mellor et al. (2006), Agnarsson and May-Collado (2008) and Jefferson (2021).

Subspecies
N. phocaenoides

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1829Delphinus phocaenoides Cuvier p. 291
1841Delphinus melas Temminck
1846Neomeris phocaenoides Gray p. 30
1850Neomeris phocaenoides Gray p. 80
1866Neomeris phocaenoides Gray p. 306
1866Delphinapterus molagan Owen
1868Neomeris phocaenoides Gray p. 8
1884Neomeris kurrachiensis Murray
1899Neophocaena phocaenoides Palmer p. 23
1904Neophocaena phocaenoides Trouessart p. 768
1912Neomeris phocaenoides Turner p. 108
1963Neophocaena phocaenoides Scheffer and Rice p. 5
1966Neophocaena phocaenoides Hershkovitz p. 106
1998Neophocaena phocaenoides Rice p. 122
2005Neophocaena phocaenoides Mead and Brownell p. 735
2006Neophocaena phocaenoides Fajardo-Mellor et al. p. 911
2008Neophocaena phocaenoides Agnarsson and May-Collado p. 981 figs. Fig. 5
2021Neophocaena phocaenoides Jefferson p. 57

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
—Mammaliamorpha
—Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
—Theriamorpha(Rowe 1993)
RankNameAuthor
—Theriiformes()
—Trechnotheria
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—Laurasiatheria
—Scrotifera
—Euungulata
—Artiodactylamorpha
—Artiodactyla()
—Whippomorpha
orderCetacea
—Pelagiceti
—Neoceti
suborderOdontoceti
infraorderDelphinida
superfamilyDelphinoidea
familyPhocoenidae()
genusNeophocaena
speciesphocaenoides(Cuvier 1829)

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.

Neophocaena phocaenoides Cuvier 1829 [finless porpoise]
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Invalid names: Delphinapterus molagan Owen 1866 [synonym], Delphinus melas Temminck 1841 [synonym], Neomeris kurrachiensis Murray 1884 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
partNmean

Composition: hydroxyapatitesubo
Form: roller-shapedo
Ontogeny: modification of partso
Environment: marine, freshwatersubo
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: aquatico
Depth habitat: surfaceo
Diet: piscivoref
Reproduction: viviparoussubo
Created: 2005-06-08 10:11:09
Modified: 2005-06-08 12:11:09
Source: f = family, subo = suborder, o = order
References: Nowak 1991, Uhen 2004

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Late/Upper Pleistocene to the top of the Holocene or 0.12900 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 0.0117 Ma

Collections (7 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Japan Neophocaena phocaenoides (75739)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Indonesia Neophocaena phocaenoides (168239)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Oman Neophocaena phocaenoides (168237)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0India Neophocaena phocaenoides (168238)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Taiwan Neophocaena phocaenoides (168240)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0China Neophocaena phocaenoides (68028)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0South Africa Delphinus phocaenoides (type locality: 86897)