Biology:Neophocaena
| Neophocaena | |
|---|---|
| |
| Neophocaena sunameri at Miyajima Public Aquarium | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | Phocoenidae |
| Genus: | Neophocaena Palmer, 1899 |
| Species | |
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Neophocaena asiaeorientalis | |
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| For all three finless porpoise species | |
Neophocaena is a genus of porpoise native to the Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as the freshwater habitats of the Yangtze River basin in China . They are commonly known as finless porpoises. Genetic studies indicate that Neophocaena is the most basal living member of the porpoise family.[1]
There are three species in this genus:[2][3]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Neophocaena asiaeorientalis | Yangtze finless porpoise | Yangtze River basin in China |
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Neophocaena phocaenioides | Indo-Pacific finless porpoise | Persian Gulf east to the Taiwan Strait, south to Indonesia |
|
Neophocaena sunameri | East Asian finless porpoise | Taiwan Strait north to the Yellow Sea, east to the east coast of Japan |
Description
The finless porpoises are the only porpoises to lack a true dorsal fin. Instead there is a low ridge covered in thick skin bearing several lines of tiny tubercles. In addition, the forehead is unusually steep compared with those of other porpoises. With fifteen to twenty-one teeth in each jaw, they also have, on average, fewer teeth than other porpoises, although there is some overlap, and this is a not a reliable means of distinguishing them.[4]
References
 |
- ↑ Rosel, P. E. (1995). "Phylogenetic relationships among the true porpoises (Cetacea: Phocoenidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 4 (4): 463–474. doi:10.1006/mpev.1995.1043. PMID 8747302.
- ↑ Mammal Diversity Database (2021-08-10), Mammal Diversity Database, Zenodo, https://zenodo.org/record/5175993, retrieved 2021-08-28
- ↑ "Finless Porpoises: Neophocaena phocaenoides, N. asiaeorientalis" (in en). Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals: 372–375. 2018-01-01. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-804327-1.00129-1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128043271001291.
- ↑ Jefferson, T. A.; Hung, S. K. (2004). "Neophocaena phocaenoides". Mammalian Species 746: 1–12. doi:10.1644/746.
