NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Indian Ocean humpback dolphin
Sousa plumbea (G. Cuvier, 1829)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) is a member of the Delphinidae family occupying coastal areas ranging from Southern Africa to Western Indochina. The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) was formerly included within the same species, but a 2014 study revealed them to be a separate species. The most limiting factor to habitat-usage is water depth, with most specimens remaining in waters shallower than 20 meters. As a result, the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin's offshore range is largely dependent on the coastlines' specific physiographical characteristics. The species has been reported to inhabit nearly every type of coastal habitat, although preference and prominence of any given habitat type is highly dependent on the geographical location. Indian Ocean humpback dolphins experience extremely high rates of calf and juvenile mortality due to anthropogenic disturbances such as environmental pollution, habitat deterioration and noise pollution. Indian Ocean humpback dolphins are social delphinids that live in groups averaging twelve individuals, although group size can be highly variable. The majority of their diet is composed of sciaenid fishes, cephalopods, and crustaceans.
Wikipedia contributors, Indian Ocean humpback dolphin; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:53:40.245433+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sousa plumbea (G. Cuvier, 1829)
- Name authority
- (G. Cuvier, 1829)
- Common name
- Indian Ocean humpback dolphin
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Cetacea
- Family
- Delphinidae
- Genus
- Sousa
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderCetacea Brisson, 1762
- suborderOdontoceti Flower, 1867
- familyDelphinidae Gray, 1821
- genusSousa Gray, 1866
- speciesSousa plumbea (G. Cuvier, 1829)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sousa. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese white dolphinSousa chinensis (Osbeck, 1765) | DelphinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Australian humpback dolphinSousa sahulensis Jefferson & Rosenbaum, 2014 | DelphinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atlantic Humpback DolphinSousa teuszii (Kükenthal, 1892) | DelphinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Delphinus lentiginosus Owen, 1866 Owen, 1866 | synonym |
| Delphinus plumbeus G. Cuvier, 1829 G. Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Steno lentiginosus Gray, 1866 Gray, 1866 | synonym |
| Steno plumbeus (G. Cuvier, 1829) (G. Cuvier, 1829) | synonym |
| Stenopontistes zambezicus Miranda Ribiero, 1936 Miranda Ribiero, 1936 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Southern Asia
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=612594 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4YDGH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.