WoRMS taxon details
Delphinidae Gray, 1821
Delphinapteridae Kasuya, 1973 · unaccepted (synonym for part of Delphinidae...)
synonym for part of Delphinidae (Delphinapterus and Orcaella)
Delphinoidae Guerin, 1874 · unaccepted (synonym)
Delphinusideae Lesson, 1842 · unaccepted (synonym)
Globidelphinidae Nishiwaki, 1963 · unaccepted (misspelling)
Orcadae Gray, 1871 · unaccepted (Preoccupied)
Orcadina Gray, 1846 · unaccepted (Preoccupied)
Orcaelidae Nishiwaki, 1972 · unaccepted (misspelling Orcaellidae)
Orcaellidae Nishiwaki, 1963 · unaccepted (synonym)
Orcinae Fraser & Purves, 1960 · unaccepted (misspelling)
Orcini Wagner, 1846 · unaccepted (Preoccupied)
Orcininae Rice, 1967 · unaccepted (synonym for part of Delphinidae)
- Genus Cephalorhynchus Gray, 1846
- Subfamily Delphininae Le Duc, 1997
- Genus Delphinus Linnaeus, 1758
- Genus Feresa Gray, 1870
- Genus Globicephala Lesson, 1828
- Subfamily Globicephalinae Le Duc, 1997
- Genus Grampus Gray, 1828
- Genus Lagenodelphis Fraser, 1957
- Genus Lagenorhynchus Gray, 1846
- Genus Lagenorrhynchus
- Subfamily Lissodelphininae Rice, 1984
- Genus Lissodelphis Gloger, 1841
- Genus Orcaella Gray, 1866
- Genus Orcinus Fitzinger, 1860
- Genus Peponocephala Nishiwaki & Norris, 1966
- Genus Pseudorca Reinhardt, 1862
- Genus Sotalia (Gray, 1866)
- Genus Sousa Gray, 1866
- Genus Stenella Gray, 1866
- Genus Steno Gray, 1846
- Subfamily Stenoninae Le Duc, 1997
- Genus Tursiops Gervais, 1855
- Subfamily Beluginae Flower, 1867 accepted as Monodontidae Gray, 1821 (synonym)
- Subfamily Cephalorhynchinae Fraser & Purves, 1960 accepted as Lissodelphininae Rice, 1984 (synonym for part of Lissodelphininae )
- Genus Cetus Wagler, 1830 accepted as Globicephala Lesson, 1828 (synonym)
- Genus Clymene (Gray, 1864) accepted as Stenella Gray, 1866 (synonym)
- Genus Clymenia Gray, 1868 (preoccupied)
- Subfamily Delphinapterinae Gill, 1871 accepted as Monodontidae Gray, 1821 (synonym)
- Genus Delphinapterus Gray, 1846 accepted as Lissodelphis Gloger, 1841 (preoccupied)
- Genus Electra Gray, 1866 accepted as Lagenorhynchus Gray, 1846 (synonym)
- Genus Eudelphinus Van Beneden & Gervais, 1880 accepted as Delphinus Linnaeus, 1758 (synonym)
- Genus Euphrosyne (Gray, 1866) accepted as Stenella Gray, 1866 (synonym)
- Genus Eutropia Gray, 1862 accepted as Cephalorhynchus Gray, 1846 (synonym)
- Genus Ferasa Gray, 1875 accepted as Feresa Gray, 1870 (Spelling mistake)
- Genus Feresia Flower, 1884 accepted as Feresa Gray, 1870 (synonym)
- Genus Fretidelphis Iredale & Troughton, 1934 accepted as Stenella Gray, 1866 (synonym)
- Genus Gladiator Gray, 1870 accepted as Orcinus Fitzinger, 1860 (synonym)
- Genus Globicephalus Lesson, 1828 accepted as Globicephala Lesson, 1828 (synonym)
- Genus Globiceps Flower, 1884 accepted as Globicephala Lesson, 1828 (preoccupied)
- Subfamily Globicipites Winge, 1918 accepted as Globicephalinae Le Duc, 1997 (misspelling)
- Genus Globiocephala Gibson Hill, 1950 accepted as Globicephala Lesson, 1828 (synonym)
- Genus Globiocephalus Gray, 1846 accepted as Globicephala Lesson, 1828 (synonym )
- Genus Glyphidelphis Gervais, 1859 accepted as Steno Gray, 1846 (synonym)
- Genus Grampidelphis Iredale & Troughton, 1933 accepted as Grampus Gray, 1828 (Synonym)
- Genus Grampus Iredale & Troughton, 1933 accepted as Orcinus Fitzinger, 1860 (synonym)
- Genus Grayius Scott, 1873 accepted as Grampus Gray, 1828 (synonym)
- Genus Gudamu Gray, 1868 accepted as Tursiops Gervais, 1855 (synonym)
- Subfamily Lagenorhynchina Gray, 1868 accepted as Lissodelphininae Rice, 1984 (synonym)
- Genus Leicopleurus Tomilin, 1957 accepted as Lagenorhynchus Brunet, 1965 accepted as Lagenopolycystis Artois & Schockaert, 2000 (misspelling)
- Genus Leucopleurus Gray, 1866 accepted as Lagenorhynchus Gray, 1846 (synonym)
- Genus Leucorhamphus Lilljeborg, 1861 accepted as Lissodelphis Gloger, 1841 (synonym)
- Subfamily Lissodelphinae Fraser & Purves, 1960 accepted as Lissodelphininae Rice, 1984 (misspelling)
- Genus Micropia Gray, 1868 accepted as Stenella Gray, 1866 (synonym)
- Subfamily Monodontinae Kellogg, 1928 accepted as Monodon Linnaeus, 1758
- Genus Neoorca Gray, 1871 accepted as Pseudorca Reinhardt, 1862 (synonym)
- Genus Ophysia Gray, 1868 accepted as Orcinus Fitzinger, 1860 (synonym)
- Genus Orca Gray, 1846 accepted as Orcinus Fitzinger, 1860 (preoccupied)
- Subfamily Orcadina Gray, 1846 accepted as Delphinidae Gray, 1821 (Preoccupied)
- Genus Orcella Anderson, 1871 accepted as Orcaella Gray, 1866 (synonym)
- Subfamily Orcinae Fraser & Purves, 1960 accepted as Delphinidae Gray, 1821 (misspelling)
- Subfamily Orcini Wagner, 1846 accepted as Delphinidae Gray, 1821 (Preoccupied)
- Subfamily Orcininae Rice, 1967 accepted as Delphinidae Gray, 1821 (synonym for part of Delphinidae)
- Genus Prodelphinus Gervais in Van Beneden & Gervais, 1880 accepted as Stenella Gray, 1866 (synonym for part of Stenella)
- Subfamily Pseudorcaina Gray, 1871 accepted as Globicephalinae Le Duc, 1997 (synonym for part of Globicephalinae)
- Genus Rhinodelphis Wagner, 1846 accepted as Delphinus Linnaeus, 1758 (synonym)
- Genus Sagmatias accepted as Lagenorhynchus Gray, 1846 (synonym)
- Subfamily Sotaliinae Kasuya, 1973 accepted as Stenoninae Le Duc, 1997 (synonym)
- Genus Sphaerocephalus Gray, 1864 accepted as Globicephala Lesson, 1828 (synonym)
- Subfamily Stenonina Gray, 1868 accepted as Stenoninae Le Duc, 1997 (misspelling)
- Genus Stenopontistes Miranda Ribiero, 1936 accepted as Sousa Gray, 1866 (synonym)
- Genus Tucuxa Gray, 1866 accepted as Sotalia (Gray, 1866) (synonym)
- Genus Tursio Wagler, 1830 accepted as Lissodelphis Gloger, 1841 (preoccupied)
- Genus Furcio (uncertain > unassessed)
- Genus Gramphidelphis (uncertain > unassessed)
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
Not documented
Description The family Delphinidae has been called a 'taxonomic trash basket', because many small to medium-sized odontocetes of...
Description The family Delphinidae has been called a 'taxonomic trash basket', because many small to medium-sized odontocetes of various forms have been lumped together in this group for centuries. Consequentely, the so-called delphinids are diverse in form. They range in size from 1 to 1.88 m dolphins of the genera Sotalia and Cephalorhynchus, to the killer whale, in which males can reach lengths of at least 9.8 m. However, most delphinids share the following characteristics: a marine habitat, a noticeable beak, conical teeth, and a large falcate dorsal fin set near the middle of the back. There are exceptions to everyone of these rules, except the presence of basically conical teeth. <123> [details]
Fordyce, E.; Perrin, W.F. (2025). World Cetacea Database. Delphinidae Gray, 1821. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=136980 on 2025-04-24
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Nomenclature
basis of record
van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details]




Unreviewed
Description The family Delphinidae has been called a 'taxonomic trash basket', because many small to medium-sized odontocetes of various forms have been lumped together in this group for centuries. Consequentely, the so-called delphinids are diverse in form. They range in size from 1 to 1.88 m dolphins of the genera Sotalia and Cephalorhynchus, to the killer whale, in which males can reach lengths of at least 9.8 m. However, most delphinids share the following characteristics: a marine habitat, a noticeable beak, conical teeth, and a large falcate dorsal fin set near the middle of the back. There are exceptions to everyone of these rules, except the presence of basically conical teeth. <123> [details]
Language | Name | |
---|---|---|
Dutch | dolfijnen | [details] |
English | ocean dolphins | [details] |
Japanese | マイルカ科 | [details] |
Norwegian Bokmål | delfinfamilien | [details] |
Norwegian Nynorsk | delfinfamilien | [details] |
Swedish | delfiner | [details] |