Burrunan dolphin
| Burrunan dolphin | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | Delphinidae |
| Genus: | Tursiops |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | T. a. 0 |
| Trinomial name | |
| Tursiops australis 0 Charlton-Robb et al. 2011 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Tursiops australis | |
The Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis) is a proposed species of bottlenose dolphin found in parts of Victoria, Australia first described in 2011. Its exact taxonomy is debated: numerous studies support it as being a separate species within the genus Tursiops and occupying a basal position within the genus, with limited phylogenetic studies using different methodologies indicate that it is a subspecies of the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus). The Burrunan dolphin is not currently recognized as a species by the Society for Marine Mammalogy or American Society of Mammalogists, which cites problematic methodology in the original study proposing species status and recommends further research.
There are only two known resident populations in Victoria, Australia, with an estimated total population size of less than 180 individuals, and the predicted effective populations sizes small; Port Phillip Bay: 81.5, Gippsland Lakes and Tasmania: 65.5.
Prior to proposal of the name T. (aduncus) australis, the term "Tursiops species, southern Australian bottlenose dolphin (SABD)" had been used.