Stenella

Stenella is a genus in the dolphin family. Currently five species are recognised in this genus:

Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, S. attenuata
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, S. frontalis
Spinner Dolphin, S. longirostris
Clymene Dolphin, S. clymene
Striped Dolphin, S. coeruleoalba

The common name for species in this species is the "spotted dolphins" or the "bridled dolphins". They are found in temperate and tropical seas all around the world. Individuals of several species begin their lives spotless and become steadily more covered in darker spots as they get older.

The species name comes from the Greek stenos meaning narrow. It was coined by John Gray in 1866. He intended it as a subgenus of Steno. Modern taxonomists recognise two genera.

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