The taxonomy of the spotted dolphins has been quite confused and still is the subject of discussions. A number of specimens have been described under a wide variety of names. S. frontalis has been described as Delphinus frontalis , but the former is accepted as the valid species name. Appearance At birth, this dolphin is unspotted, with a strongly defined cape, a flipper stripe ending at the mouth and a peduncle with a dark upper part and a lighter lower part.
Spots appear ventrally first and later light dorsal spots appear.
The dark ventral spots increase in size and number and merge in some areas. The same happens to the light dorsal spots. There is a lot of regional variation in coloration and spotting. Coastal dolphins are in general more heavily spotted than pelagic dolphins. In some areas, such as Hawaii and St. Helena, spotting is poorly developed and is only visible at close range.