Systematics
i. Taxonomy:
- regnum: Animalia
- phylum: Vertebrata
- classis: Mammalia
- subclassis: Eutheria
- superordo: Afrotheria (Springer 1997)
- The following sub-groups are under discussion, due contradicting morphological and molecular evidences:
- Paenungulata (Gregory 1910)
- Tethytheria (McKenna 1975)
- ordo: Sirenia
- familia: Dugongidae
- subfamilia Hydrodamalinae
- species: Hydrodamalis gigas
ii. Synonyms:
- Manati Gigas Zimmermann 1780,
- Manati balaenurus Boddaert 1785,
- Trichechus Manatus borealis Gmelin, 1788,
- Hydrodamalis Stelleri Retzius 1794,
- Sirene borealis Link, 1794,
- Manatus borealis Link, 1795,
- Trichechus Borealis Shaw, 1800,
- Rytina Manatus borealis Illiger, 1811,
- Nepus Stelleri G. Fischer, 1814,
- Rytina borealis Illiger, 1815,
- Rytina cetacea Illiger, 1815,
- Rytina stelleri Desmarest, 1819,
- Stellerus borealis Desmarest, 1822,
- Haligyna borealis Billberg, 1827,
- Rytina borealis F. Cuvier, 1836,
- Rhytine stelleri Burmeister, 1837,
- Rytina gigas Gray, 1850,
- Manatus gigas Lucas, 1891,
- Hydrodamalis gigas Palmer, 1895.
Rhytina instead of Rytina (Old Greek: rytis resp. rhytis = wrinkle) is a later spelling
*)Heptner, 1974. Generic name Hydrodamalis upheld in preference to Rhytina by International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, 1925, Opinion 90, Smithson. Misc. Colls 73(3):39.
Morskaja Korowa (sea cow), Borkentier (bark animal), Kapustnik (cabbage eater), North Pacific Seacow, Great Northern Seacow, Kukh su ’kh tukh (Attu)
*)Domning 2007, and many other popular names.
Species was first described 1742 by Steller on Bering Island. A first classification was untertaken by E. A. W. Zimmermann 1780 in "Geographische Geschichte des Menschen, und der allgemein verbreiteten vierfüßigen Thiere", where he named it Manati gigas. A holotype has never been established.
Domning wrote : "
No type specimens have ever been designated, nor is it necessary to designate any at this time."
*)1978, S. 93None of the available skeletons can be considered exemplary. The following nearly complete specimens have been described in great detail (see Literature List):
- Helsinki (v. Nordmann, 1861; Forsten and Youngman, 1982),
- St. Petersburg (J. F. Brandt, 1868),
- Braunschweig (Kleinschmidt, 1951, 1982, 1983).
- Dresden (Stefen, 2003)
