Phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA sequences suggests revision of humpback dolphin (Sousa spp.) taxonomy is needed

Celine H Frere; P T Hale; L Porter; V G Cockcroft; M L Dalebout

doi:10.1071/MF07120

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Phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA sequences suggests revision of humpback dolphin (Sousa spp.) taxonomy is needed

Celine H Frere, P T Hale, L Porter, V G Cockcroft and M L Dalebout

Marine and Freshwater Research, Vol.59(3), pp.259-268

2008

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/MF07120

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Abstract

Australia

Delphininae

Hong Kong

phylogeography

South Africa

speciation

Humpback dolphins (Sousa spp.) have a wide distribution in the tropical Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans and a confused taxonomy. Morphological assessments suggest three species groupings - Sousa teuszii (eastern Atlantic), Sousa plumbea (western Indo-Pacific), and Sousa chinensis (eastern Indo-Pacific) - but most taxonomies recognise only two species - S. chinensis (Indo-Pacific), and S. teuszii (Atlantic).To investigate phylogenetic relationships, mitochondrial DNA control region sequences (338 base pairs) from 72 Sousa representing three populations in the Indo-Pacific (South Africa: S. plumbea, n=23; China: S. chinensis, n=19; and Australia: S. chinensis, n=28), and S. teuszii in the Atlantic (Mauritania, n=2) were generated. All three Indo-Pacific populations formed robust, monophyletic clades with high bootstrap (BS) and Bayesian posterior probability (BPP) scores. Surprisingly, humpback dolphins from South Africa and China formed a strongly-supported clade with the Atlantic S. teuszii (BS 63%, BPP 0.92) to the exclusion of animals from Australia. Genetic divergence between animals from China and Australia (DA =8.4%±2.47%) was greater than between China and South Africa (DA =5.1%±1.80%). These results strongly suggest that Australian humpback dolphins are not S. chinensis but may represent a distinct species in their own right.

Details

Title: Phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA sequences suggests revision of humpback dolphin (Sousa spp.) taxonomy is needed
Authors: Celine H Frere (Author) - University of New South Wales
P T Hale (Author) - University of Queensland
L Porter (Author) - Worldwide Fund for Nature, Hong Kong
V G Cockcroft (Author) - Centre for Dolphin Studies, South Africa
M L Dalebout (Author) - University of New South Wales
Publication details: Marine and Freshwater Research, Vol.59(3), pp.259-268
Publisher: C S I R O Publishing
Date published: 2008
DOI: 10.1071/MF07120
ISSN: 1323-1650
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99448733702621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Fisheries; Limnology; Marine & Freshwater Biology; Oceanography

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