A redescription of Sousa chinensis (Osbeck, 1765) (Mammalia, Delphinidae) and designation of a neotype

Abstract

The holotype of the delphinid Sousa chinensis , held in the collection of the Royal College of Surgeons, London, was destroyed during the Second World War. The neotype is described herein from a male specimen obtained from the waters of Hong Kong (the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China since 1 July 1997). This dolphin was found newly dead in May 1996 and death determined as heart failure brought about by entanglement with fishing gear. There is currently debate over divisions within the genus Sousa although recent reviews suggest that the five nominal species currently designated likely comprise but one. A description of the neotype's external appearance and skeletal elements is given and compared with the information that remains for the holotype and for other specimens obtained from Hong Kong waters.