Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand abstracts

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Geographical variation in Hector’s dolphin: recognition of new subspecies of Cephalorhynchus hectori

Alan N. Baker, Adam N. H. Smith

Science and Research Unit, Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 10 420, Wellington, New Zealand.

Franz B. Pichler

School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92 019, Auckland, New Zealand.

Abstract   The endemic New Zealand dolphin Cephalorhynchus hectori has been shown through genetic analyses to consist of four regional populations separated to various degrees both geographically and reproductively. A morphological study of skull and mandible features was undertaken to examine variation between the most genetically distinct population, occurring on the west coast of the North Island, and the populations around the South Island. Univariate and principal component analyses demonstrate that the North Island population can be differentiated from the southern populations on the basis of several skeletal characters. These characters, plus the genetic evidence of haplotype differences and absence of gene-flow between populations, enable us to formally describe the North Island population of Hector’s dolphin as a new subspecies, C. hectori maui, and the nominate South Island populations as C. hectori hectori.

Keywords   Cetacea; Delphinidae; Cephalorhynchus; taxonomy; genetics; subspecies; New Zealand

R02026 Received 15 July 2002; accepted 26 August 2002; published 26 November 2002
© Journal of The Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 32, Number 4, December 2002, pp 713-727

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