NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Australian humpback dolphin
Sousa sahulensis Jefferson & Rosenbaum, 2014
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.
Australian humpback dolphins, Tin Can Bay, 2016
Kerry Raymond · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Australian humpback dolphin (Sousa sahulensis) is a species of humpback dolphin and the fourth recognized humpback dolphin species chronologically. The specific name sahulensis is derived from the Sahul Shelf, located between northern Australia and southern New Guinea, where the Australian humpback dolphins occur.
The species was scientifically described on 31 July 2014 in the journal Marine Mammal Science. This vulnerable species' population was estimated to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals in 2015, with numbers declining because of habitat destruction.
Wikipedia contributors, Australian humpback dolphin; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:43:41.686416+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sousa sahulensis Jefferson & Rosenbaum, 2014
- Name authority
- Jefferson & Rosenbaum, 2014
- Common name
- Australian 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 sahulensis Jefferson & Rosenbaum, 2014
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 |
| Atlantic Humpback DolphinSousa teuszii (Kükenthal, 1892) | DelphinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Indian Ocean humpback dolphinSousa plumbea (G. Cuvier, 1829) | DelphinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Indo-West Pacific
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.
- Jefferson, Thomas A., and Howard C. Rosenbaum. (2014). Taxonomic revision of the humpback dolphins (Sousa spp.), and description of a new species from Australia. Marine Mammal Science, Vol. 30, No. 4. 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.
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:4YDGJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.