NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin
Stenella frontalis (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.
Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) The original NOAA image has been modified by adjusting tone and brightness.
NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) is a dolphin found in warm temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Older members of the species have a very distinctive spotted coloration all over their bodies.
Wikipedia contributors, Atlantic spotted dolphin; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:41:59.434600+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Stenella frontalis (G. Cuvier, 1829)
- Name authority
- (G. Cuvier, 1829)
- Common name
- Atlantic Spotted Dolphin
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Cetacea
- Family
- Delphinidae
- Genus
- Stenella
- 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
- genusStenella Gray, 1866
- speciesStenella frontalis (G. Cuvier, 1829)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Stenella. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pantropical Spotted DolphinStenella attenuata (Gray, 1846) | DelphinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Striped DolphinStenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833) | 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 doris Gray, 1846 Gray, 1846 | synonym |
| Delphinus frontalis G. Cuvier, 1829 G. Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Clymenia frontalis (G. Cuvier, 1829) (G. Cuvier, 1829) | synonym |
| Stenella fontolis (G. Cuvier, 1829) (G. Cuvier, 1829) | synonym |
| Stenella pernettyi (Desmarest, 1820) (Desmarest, 1820) | synonym |
| Stenella plagiodon (Cope, 1866) (Cope, 1866) | synonym |
| Delphinus fraenatus F. Cuvier, 1836 F. Cuvier, 1836 | synonym |
| Delphinus froenatus F. Cuvier, 1836 F. Cuvier, 1836 | synonym |
| Delphinus pernettensis Desmarest, 1817 Desmarest, 1817 | synonym |
| Delphinus plagiodon Cope, 1866 Cope, 1866 | synonym |
| Prodelphinus froenatus (F. Cuvier, 1836) (F. Cuvier, 1836) | synonym |
| Prodelphinus frontalis (G. Cuvier, 1829) (G. Cuvier, 1829) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Western Atlantic Ocean
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=552460 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:6ZJCX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.