The genus was described by
Alcide d'Orbigny in 1834 when
Delphinus geoffrensis, described by
Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville in 1817, was recognized to be a unique
taxon. D'Orbigny also described
Inia boliviensis as type species of the genus. A 1998 classification listed a single species,
Inia geoffrensis, in the genus
Inia, with three recognized
subspecies. Most of the scientific community accepted this single species classification, as does the
IUCN. As of 2016 the Committee on Taxonomy of the
Society for Marine Mammalogy considers the genus
Inia to contain one species with only two subspecies: the Bolivian (
I. g. boliviensis) and the Amazon (
I. g. geoffrensis) subspecies. In 2014, the population in the
Araguaia-
Tocantins basin was proposed to define an additional species,
Inia araguaiaensis, but this remains debated. The
American Society of Mammalogists recognizes the highest number of species at four, although this is only tentative, pending further studies which could either confirm or deny the classification.
American Society of Mammalogists Classification Genus
Inia • Species
Inia araguaiaensis –
Araguaian river dolphin • Species
Inia boliviensis –
Bolivian river dolphin • Species
Inia geoffrensis –
Amazon river dolphin • Species
Inia humboldtiana –
Orinoco river dolphin IUCN Classification Genus
Inia • Species
Inia geoffrensis –
Amazon river dolphin • Amazon Subspecies
I. g. geoffrensis • Bolivian Subspecies
I. g. boliviensis • Orinoco Subspecies
I. g. humboldtiana Society For Marine Mammalogy Classification • Genus
Inia • Species
Inia geoffrensis –
Amazon river dolphin • Amazon Subspecies
I. g. geoffrensis • Bolivian Subspecies
I. g. boliviensis ==References==