Researchers have pinpointed a new species of dolphin and dubbed it the Australian humpback dolphin, Sousa sahulensis,
The finding comes from a 17-year-long systematic examination on material including genetic data, historical records, and physical descriptions of humpback dolphins, the Wildlife Conservation Society reported. The study appears in the August 1 edition of Marine Mammal Science.
"We've finally managed to settle many long-standing questions about humpback dolphins -- particularly how many species actually exist -- using a huge body of data collected over two centuries and analyzed with the latest scientific tools," said Doctor Thomas A. Jefferson of Clymene Enterprises.
The findings could help researchers gain insight into how to protect this newly-named species.
"Humpback dolphins throughout their range are threatened with fisheries interactions, vessel impacts, and development in their coastal habitats. Efforts to protect humpback dolphins and other coastal dolphins, and their most important habitats are essential for the survival of these species," said Howard C. Rosenbaum of the Wildlife Conservation Society.
To make their findings researchers had to analyze all species closely related to the Australian humpback dolphins. In the past researchers have disagreed about the diversity of humpback dolphins, claiming all were of the same species. This new study employed "external and skeletal measurements, coloration, molecular genetics, and geographic distribution" to show otherwise.
The Australian humpback has now joined the ranks of the Atlantic "humpback dolphin (Sousa teuszii), the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), and the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea)."
The new species has a number of teeth and vertebrae than its relatives; it also has a lower dorsal fin and a dark gray body (as opposed to the pink coloration of Sousa chinensis).
The findings support the idea of the "Wallace Line," which is believed to be the geological divider between species of Asian and Australian descent.
