Skip to content

OBIS-SEAMAP

Sections
Personal tools
You are here: Home » Species Profiles » detail
Untitled Document
 

Stenella clymene (Clymene Dolphin)

Enlarge species image
Image credit: Garth Mix, GMIX Designs

Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Scientific Name Stenella clymene
Taxonomic Rank Species
Original Description (Gray, 1846)
Scientific Synonyms (since 1950)
Common Name
Clymene Dolphin
All Common Names English: short-snouted spinner dolphin, Clymene dolphin
Spanish: Delfn de Clymen
Taxonomic Parents Kingdom: Animalia
  Phylum: Chordata
    Subphylum: Vertebrata
      Class: Mammalia
        Subclass: Theria
          Infraclass: Eutheria
            Order: Cetacea
              Suborder: Odontoceti
                Family: Delphinidae
                  Genus: Stenella
Taxonomic Children
Taxonomic # 180435
Taxonomic data is courtesy of the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Physical Description / Field Identification

The Clymene dolphin is externally similar to the spinner dolphin, but is smaller and more robust, with a much shorter and stockier beak.  The dorsal fin is falcate, as opposed to the more triangular fins of spinners.  Despite the general similarities with the spinner dolphin, skull morphology indicates that the Clymene dolphin may be more closely related to the striped dolphin.

A three-part color pattern, with a dark gray cape, light gray sides, and white belly, is characteristic of this species.  The cape dips in two places, above the eye and below the dorsal fin.  The beak is mostly light gray, but the lips and beak tip are black.  There is also a dark stripe on the top of the beak, from the tip to the apex of the melon, and often a dark "moustache" marking on the middle of the top of the beak.  The eye is also surrounded by black, and a dark gray stripe runs from the eye to the flipper.  Tooth counts are much lower than in spinners 39-52 teeth per row. They are slender and pointed.

Clymene dolphins are known to reach at least 1.97 m (males) and 1.90 m (females) in length, and sexual maturity is reached by about 1.7-1.8 m.  Newborn length is unknown, but is less than 1.2 m.  This species reaches weights of at least 80 kg.

Can be Confused With

Clymene dolphins are most easily confused with spinner dolphins, but are more robust, with shorter, stubbier beaks.  Also, the color pattern is slightly different; the two dips in the cape and the dark "moustache" marking on top of the beak will allow clymene dolphins to be distinguished.  The body shape of Clymene dolphins also closely resembles that of the short-beaked common dolphin, as does the color pattern in a superficial way.  Common dolphins can best be distinguished by their hourglass pattern, cape that forms a V below the dorsal fin, chin-to-flipper stripe, and absence of a "moustache."

Distribution

Range:  Tropical

The Clymene dolphin is found only in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.  This species has a notable warm-water preference, although there are records as far north as New Jersey on the U.S. east coast and as far south as southern Brazil.  The limits on the West African coast are not well known, but extend from at least the equator north to Mauritania.  This is a deep water, oceanic species, not often seen near shore.
Links to Distribution Map at Sea Around Us Project

Map of OBIS-SEAMAP Data Points

Existing observations across multiple datasets within OBIS-SEAMAP are indicated with red points.
Species distributions (pink background polygon if present) were digitized by Kristin Kaschner as part of the Sea Around Us Project predominantly from Jefferson et al (1993).

Reference
Jefferson, T.A., S. Leatherwood, and M.A. Webber. 1993. FAO species identification guide. Marine mammals of the world. Rome, FAO. 1993.320. p. 587 figs.

Ecology and Behavior

Habitat:  Oceanic

Very little is known of the Clymene dolphin's natural history. This partly due to the long-standing confusion between this and other similar long-beaked tropical delphinids, as well as the species’ offshore habitat. Schools tend to be smaller than those of spinner dolphins, generally less than 200 animals. They have been reported to associate with common dolphins off West Africa, and spinner dolphins in the Caribbean. These quick and agile dolphins ride bow waves and are aerially active. They have been reported to spin up to 3-4 revolutions on the long axis when breaching. Almost nothing is known of the life history of this species.

Feeding and Prey

Very few stomachs have been examined, and even fewer observations of feeding behavior reported in the literature. Clymene dolphins apparently feed on small fish and squid at moderate depths, presumably mainly at night.

Threats and Status

Main threats include:

Harvest

Fisheries bycatch

Conservation status:

The IUCN lists the Clymene dolphin as “data deficient”. The U.S. does not list this species as threatened or endangered. Although they are known to be taken occasionally in dolphin fisheries in the Caribbean, and incidental captures in fishing nets do occur throughout much of the range, the Clymene dolphin is not known to suffer any heavy exploitation at this point. The only exception may be off the coast of West Africa, where this species may be one of several taken in large numbers in tuna purse seines. Using data from 1991 to 1994, NMFS estimated the northern Gulf of Mexico stock to be 5,571 (CV=0.37).

For current information on the conservation status of this species, please consult the following websites.


References

Jefferson, T.A. 1996. Morphology of the Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene) in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Aquatic Mammals 2235-43.

Jefferson, T.A. 2002. Clymene dolphin Stenella clymene. Pp. 234-236 in W F. Perrin, B. Würsig and J.G.M. Thewissen, eds. Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Academic Press.

Jefferson, T.A. and B.E. Curry. In press. Stenella clymene. Mammalian Species XXX, X pp.

Perrin, W.F., E.D. Mitchell, J.G. Mead, D.K. Caldwell, and P.J.H. Van Bree. 1981. Stenella clymene, a rediscovered tropical dolphin of the Atlantic. Journal of Mammalogy 62583-598.

Perrin, W.F., and J.G. Mead. 1994. Clymene dolphin Stenella clymene (Gray, 1846). Pp. 161-171 in S.H. Ridgway and R. Harrison, eds. Handbook of marine mammals, Volume 5 The first book of dolphins. Academic Press.

To get custom statistics or download the results as a CSV file, go to Observation Query & Summary
 
Powered by Plone

This site conforms to the following standards: