96 



STUDIES OF TASMANIA N GET ACE A. 



Part III. 



Tursiops tursio. 



Southern Form. 



By 



H. H. Scott (Curator, Victoria Museum, Launceston) 



and 

 Clive E. Lord (Curator, Tasmanian Museum, Hobarfc). 



Plates XXIII. -XXV. 

 (Eeoeived 21st July, 1919. Read 1st September, 1919.) 



In foregoing papers we have dealt with (i.) Orca 

 gladiator, Pseudorca crassidens, Glohicejjhalus melas, and 

 (ii.) Zijohius cavirostris. In the present instance we desire 

 to place on record certain data relating to Tursiops 

 tursio, and to show reasons why it should be included as 

 an inhabitant of the Australian Zone. In a succeeding 

 paper we hope to publish certain facts concerning 

 D. deljjhis. 



The genus Tursio'ps should not be confounded with 

 that of Tursio, which latter geniis, with very little read- 

 justment, might well be relegated to mere specific rank, 

 for it is closely involved with other genera — for example, 

 Prodelphinus. 



Gray used the designation Tursio in 1862, but, as it 

 had been previously used by Wagler for another gernxs, 

 Gray's designation lapsed, and Tursiops wasi substituted. 

 Tursio, however, is still retained for its correct genus, 

 which explains why care mast be taken to differentiate 

 between the two genera. 



In all lists of Australian Cetacea the representative 

 of the genus TursiojJs inhabiting these seas is given as 

 T. catalania, the species being founded by Gray in 

 1862. (1) As has been observed by several authorities 

 ^2) of the numerous species described of this genus, 

 it is very difficult to satisfactorily differentiate the-m from 

 the main form of T. tursio. In this connection we would 

 again draw attention to the remarks made in our previous 



(1) Gray; Delpliinus catalania, Proc. Zoo. Soc. Lond., 1862, p. 144. 



Tursio catalania, B.M. Cat. S. and W., 1866, p. 262. 



(2) Among others by Beddard. Camb. Nat. Hist. Mammalia, p. 379. 



