STATUS, RELATIONSHIPS, AND DISTRIBUTION OF MESOPLODON BOWDOINI ANDREWS, 1908 (CETACEA: ZIPHIIDAE)

The specific status of Mesoplodon bowdoini Andrews is reviewed and new information on its morphology, reproduction, and distribution is presented. This species of beaked whale, known only from 35 specimens, has a southern, circumpolar distribution north of the Antarctic convergence, between 32° and 54°30'S. It shares with M. bahamondi Reyes, Van Waerebeek, Cárdenas and Yáñez from the south Pacific Ocean including New Zealand (this paper) and M. carlhubbsi Moore from the north Pacific, a number of morphological features such as prominential notches in the maxillary bones in the skull. It is less similar to M. stejnegeri True from the north Pacific and M. ginkgodens Nishiwaki and Kamiya from the tropical Indo-Pacific. Mesoplodon bowdoini can be distinguished from all other species of Mesoplodon by the shape of its teeth (male and female), and differences in the morphology of its skull, especially the proportions of the rostrum, separation of the nasals, the shape of the prominential notches, and the nature of the antorbital processes. The species' distinguishing external characteristics are: a robust body up to about 4.50 m long; a low melon and short, thick beak; an elevated jawline posteriorly; and a low, blunt-tipped, triangular dorsal fin. The occurrence of fetuses of M. bowdoini in May and September, and perinatal juveniles in May and June, indicates a summer-autumn breeding season in the New Zealand region; the length at birth is estimated at about 2.20 m.     

A NEW SPECIES OF BEAKED WHALE MESOPLODON PERRINI SP. N. (CETACEA: ZIPHIIDAE) DISCOVERED THROUGH PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSES OF MITOCHONDRIAL DNA SEQUENCES

Mesoplodon perrini , a new species of beaked whale is described on the basis of five animals stranded on the coast of California (between 32°55'N, 117°15'W and 36°37'N, 121°55'W) from May 1975 to September 1997. Four of these animals were initially identified as Hector's beaked whales M. hectori based on cranial morphology (Mead 1981). A fifth specimen was initially identified as a neonate Cuvier's beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris based on external features. These specimens were first recognized as representatives of an undescribed species through phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial (mt) DNA control region and cytochrome b sequence data. Although similar morphologically, the genetic data do not support a close evolutionary relationship between M. perrini and M. hectori . Instead, these data suggest a possible sister species relationship with the lesser beaked whale M. peruvianus . Sightings of two small beaked whales off California in the 1970s which were tentatively identified as M. hectori are also likely to be M. perrini . We suggest that M. hectori is confined to the Southern Hemisphere, while M. perrini is known to date only from the North Pacific.     

Molecular genetic identification of southern hemisphere beaked whales (Cetacea: Ziphiidae)

To assist in the species-level identification of stranded and hunted beaked whales, we compiled a database of 'reference' sequences from the mitochondrial DNA control region for 15 of the 20 described ziphiid species. Reference samples for eight species were obtained from stranded animals in New Zealand and South Australia. Sequences for a further seven species were obtained from a previously published report. This database was used to identify 20 'test' samples obtained from incompletely documented strandings around New Zealand. Analyses showed that four of these 'test' specimens (20%) had initially been misidentified. These included two animals of particular interest: (i) a Blainville's beaked whale ( Mesoplodon densirostris) , the first record of this species in New Zealand waters; and, (ii) a juvenile Andrews' beaked whale ( Mesoplodon bowdoini ), a species known from just over 20 strandings worldwide. A published sequence from a beaked whale product purchased in the Republic of Korea was identified as a Cuvier's beaked whale ( Ziphius cavirostris ). Levels of intra- and interspecific variation were compared to determine the potential for misidentification when the database or taxonomy is incomplete. Intraspecific variation was generally <2%, and interspecific divergence was generally >4.7%. Exceptions were within-species variation in Hyperoodon planifrons , southern bottlenosed whale (4.12%), which exceeded the variation between the two species of Berardius (3.78%), and variation between the two specimens assigned to M. hectori , Hector's beaked whale (7.14%). The latter case appears to be an error in species identification, and could represent the discovery of a new species of beaked whale.     

DISTRIBUTION OF THE PYGMY RIGHT WHALE, CAPEREA MARGINATA, IN THE AUSTRALASIAN REGION

The latitudinal range of all records of sightings ( n = 9), and live strandings and carcasses ( n = 180) of Caperea marginata in the Australasian region was 32°00'–47°00'S. Records were concentrated on the edge of the South Australian gulfs, around Tasmania, at Stewart Island, in Cook Strait, and in the Auckland area. Limited data suggest that these may be related to planktonrich waters nearby. Body lengths ranged from 198 to 650 cm. Overall sex ratio was 0.70 (males: females). In regions north of about 41°S, juveniles (preweaning) made up 41% of the records and subadults (postweaning) were rare (13%). In regions south of about 41°S subadults (36%) were proportionately more abundant than juveniles (17%). Neonates were recorded from 35°37' to 47°00'S. Adults were found throughout the latitudinal range of the species in Australasia. The diet of the pygmy right whale included copepods and small euphausiids. Behavior consistent with feeding has been observed in coastal waters of Australia.     

Re-identification of the supposed True's beaked whale Mesoplodon mirus from Scotland

In the first week of January 1931 a beaked whale (Family Ziphiidae) stranded at Gierinish, South Uist, Outer Hebrides, was identified as a True's beaked whale Mesoplodon mirus . This stranding is referred to frequently in the cetacean literature, either directly or indirectly. Re-examination of the skull of this specimen reveals characters unique to Cuvier's whale Ziphius cavirostris and not shown by any Mesoplodon . Therefore, there is no known stranding of True's beaked whale in Britain.     

Cetacean mitochondrial DNA control region: sequences of all extant baleen whales and two sperm whale species

The sequence of the mitochondrial control region was determined in all 10 extant species commonly assigned to the suborder Mysticeti (baleen or whalebone whales) and to two odontocete (toothed whale) species (the sperm and the pygmy sperm whale). In the mysticetes, both the length and the sequence of the control region were very similar, with differences occurring primarily in the first approximately 160 bp of the 5' end of the L-strand of the region. There were marked differences between the mysticete and sperm whale sequences and also between the two sperm whales. The control region, less its variable portion, was used in a comparison including the 10 mysticete sequences plus the same region of an Antarctic minke whale specimen and the two sperm whales. The difference between the minke whales from the North Atlantic and the Antarctic was greater than that between any acknowledged species belonging to the same genus (Balaenoptera). The difference was similar to that between the families Balaenopteridae (rorquals) and Eschrichtiidae (gray whales). The findings suggest that the Antarctic minke whale should have a full species status, B. bonaerensis. Parsimony analysis separated the bowhead and the right whale (family Balaenidae) from all remaining mysticetes, including the pygmy right whale. The pygmy right whale is usually included in family Balaenidae. The analysis revealed a close relationship between the gray whale (family Eschrichtiidae) sequence and those of the rorquals (family Balaenopteridae). The gray whale was included in a clade together with the sei, Bryde's, fin, blue, and humpback whales. This clade was separated from the two minke whale types, which branched together.      

OBSERVATIONS OF AN UNIDENTIFIED BEAKED WHALE (MESOPLODON SP.) IN THE EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC

Multiple sightings of a distinctive but unidentified species of beaked whale have been made in the eastern tropical Pacific. The unidentified whale has two color morphs: a conspicuously marked black and white form (judged to be larger), and a uniformly gray-brown form. Maximum length estimates have been 5–5.5 m. Other features include a relatively flat head, with a small, distinct melon; a moderately long beak; and a low, wide-based, triangular dorsal fin. On most animals the trailing edge of the dorsal fin is only slightly falcate and often appears straight. On the black and white morph, a broad white or cream-colored swathe originates immediately posterior to the dorsal surface of the head and runs posterio-ventrally on either side of the animal. The prevalence of scarring on the black and white animals suggests sexual dimorphism and that these larger, more conspicuously marked animals are adult males, while the smaller, browner, unscarred animals are females and young. Possibilities for identification include: 1) a well-marked race of a known Mesoplodon sp., 2) Mesoplodon (Indopacetus) pacificus or 3) an undescribed species.     

中国大陆海域沿岸搁浅和误捕的喙鲸类调查

从2009 年1 月至2010 年2 月,我们对中国大陆海域沿岸搁浅和误捕的喙鲸类头骨标本进行了测量和鉴
定。目前中国大陆海域搁浅和误捕的喙鲸类有5 种,分别为柯氏喙鲸、贝氏喙鲸、朗氏喙鲸、柏氏中喙鲸和小
中喙鲸,其中小中喙鲸为中国海域(包括台湾)的首次报道,也是在西北太平洋区的首次记录。小中喙鲸的主
要形态鉴别特征为有1 对纺锤形牙齿着生在下颌骨联合后面。经对已报道过的大陆海域搁浅和误捕的3 个雌性
银杏齿中喙鲸头骨标本和台湾省搁浅银杏齿中喙鲸的颅骨、鼻骨、下颌骨以及牙齿特征对比重新鉴定,订正大
陆的3 个样本为雌性柏氏中喙鲸。本文报道了大陆沿岸海域搁浅和误捕的喙鲸类最新调查研究结果。     

福建平潭一头误捕灰鲸的部分形态学记录

2011 年11 月5 日,福建省平潭县白青乡青峰村渔民出海作业时发现一头误撞定置刺网死亡的灰鲸,为福建省的首次灰鲸误捕案例,也是本世纪以来我国海域的首次灰鲸误捕记录。本文描述了该灰鲸的外形特征和骨骼系统,并报道外形和骨骼的测量数据。该灰鲸系雌性,体长1 309 cm,体重约21 t,为目前本种在我国海域搁浅/ 误捕记录中的最大个体。头骨长281 cm,宽128 cm,重250 kg;脊椎式为C7 + T13 + L13 +Ca23 = 56;指式为Ⅰ1,Ⅱ3,Ⅲ7,Ⅳ5,Ⅴ3;肋骨14 对,V 形骨10 枚。脊椎式、指式、肋骨和V 形骨较之以前的报道存在差异,说明灰鲸的脊椎式、指式、肋骨和V 形骨可能存在个体差异。此外,本文还综述了西北太平洋灰鲸目前所面临的主要致危因素。     

RESURRECTION OF MESOPLODON TRAVERSII (GRAY, 1874), SENIOR SYNONYM OF M. BAHAMONDI REYES, VAN WAEREBEEK, CÁRDENAS AND YÁÑEZ, 1995 (CETACEA: ZIPHIIDAE)

Mesoplodon traversii (Gray, 1874) is shown to be a senior synonym of the recently described beaked whale Mesoplodon hahamondi Reyes et al. , 1995 on the basis of a phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA control region sequences. The mandible and teeth of M. traversii , first reported in 1873 by Hector as Dolichodon layardii . are redescribed. The species can be distinguished by features of the calvaria; including the large jugal, broad rostrum, and small distance between premaxillary foramina. The male teeth, which are large and spade-shaped with a strong terminal denticle, are also diagnostic. M. traversii is known only from Pitt Island and White Island, New Zealand and Robinson Crusoe Island, Juan Fernandez Archipelago, Chile.     

Mysticete (baleen whale) relationships based upon the sequence of the common cetacean DNA satellite.

The genomes of all extant cetaceans are characterized by the presence of the so-called common cetacean DNA satellite. In the mysticetes (whalebone whales) the repeat length of the satellite is 1,760 bp. In the odontocetes (toothed whales), other than the family Delphinidae, the repeat length is usually approximately 1,740 bp. The Delphinidae are characterized by a repeat length of approximately 1,580 bp. It has been shown in odontocetes that the satellite evolves in concert and that differences between species, with respect to the sequence of the satellite, correspond reasonably well to their evolutionary distances. In the present study the sequence of the satellite was determined in three repeats in each of seven mysticete species, and a consensus for each species established. Parsimony and neighbor-joining analyses based upon sequences of all repeats showed that the primary evolutionary distinction among the mysticetes is between the Balaenidae sensu stricto (i.e., the bowhead whale and the right whale) and all remaining species, including the pygmy right whale, a species that usually has been included in the Balaenidae. The comparisons also showed that the humpback whale and the gray whale were approximately equidistant from the blue whale and the fin whale (genus Balaenoptera). Concerted evolution of the satellite was also demonstrated among the mysticetes, but it appeared to evolve more slowly in the mysticetes than in the odontocetes.     

Occurrence of the ectoparasite Isocyamus deltobranchium (Amphipoda: Cyamidae) on cetaceans from Atlantic waters

The cyamids collected from a True's beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus), a common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), and a harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) stranded in Galicia (NW Spain) were identified as Isocyamus deltobranchium, extending the range of this species to the Atlantic Ocean. The three cetacean species examined are new hosts for this parasite. The microscopic examination of female specimens reveals that certain important taxonomic characters can be present or absent depending on the maturation stage, an aspect which should be considered in future studies describing cyamid species.     

APPEARANCE, DISTRIBUTION, AND GENETIC DISTINCTIVENESS OF LONGMAN'S BEAKED WHALE, INDOPACETUS PACIFICUS

Longman's beaked whale, Indopacetus pacificus , was known previously from only two skulls. Here we describe four new specimens of this species from strandings in the western and central Indian Ocean. Two juveniles, previously misidentified from external morphology as Hyperoodon planifrons , were identified as I. pacificus through diagnostic characteristics of mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequences derived from the holotype of this species. Images of the external appearance and teeth of the species are presented for the first time. Comparison of the color pattern of these new specimens with that of "tropical bottlenose whales" sighted in the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans confirm that those unidentified whales represent I. pacificus. Moore (1968) erected a new genus, Indopacetus , for this species (described initially as Mesoplodon pacificus ) based primarily on cranial morphology. Phylogenetic analyses of short mtDNA fragments available from the specimens known to date were unable to resolve the validity of this genus. However, the diagnostic osteological features highlighted by Moore (1968) for Indopacetus were also observed in the new specimens. Rib count and number of fused cervical vertebrae may also be diagnostic. Rostrum depth at mid-length and melon shape further distinguish this species from Mesoplodon beaked whales. As such, we see no reason on morphological grounds to overturn Moore's (1968) proposal that Longman's beaked whale is sufficiently distinct to be afforded its own genus.     

Molecular identification of novel alpha- and gammaherpesviruses from cetaceans stranded on Japanese coasts

Herpesviral infections have been documented in some cetaceans; however, they have not yet been identified in species in the western North Pacific. In the present study, 178 tissue samples from 76 stranded cetacean individuals were tested for the presence of herpesviruses. Herpesvirus genomic DNA fragments surrounding the DNA polymerase gene were amplified in samples from four individuals. TA cloning and direct sequencing of these DNA fragments revealed the presence of two novel alphaherpesviruses, and two novel gammaherpesviruses in the four cetacean individuals. The alphaherpesviruses were associated with the lung tissue of a false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), and with the mucus of a melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra). The gammaherpesviruses were found in the lymph tissues of a Stejneger's beaked whale (Mesoplodon stejnegeri) and a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). The phylogenetic tree using amino acid sequences of the DNA polymerase gene supported the inclusion of the novel viruses identified here in a single monophyletic group containing alphaherpesviruses from other Atlantic cetacean species. Conversely, the novel gammaherpesviruses formed an independent clade distant from other known cetacean gammaherpesviruses.     

CHANGES IN THE RELATIVE ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF GRAY WHALES (ESCHRICHTIUS ROBUSTUS) IN MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO DURING AN EL NIÑO EVENT

The oceanographic changes during the El Niño and La Niña of 1998–1999 have provided an opportunity to document the effects of these events on the migratory patterns of gray whales ( Eschrichtius robustus ). Magdalena Bay is located at the southernmost point of the gray whale's annual breeding migration along the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. Standardized surveys were conducted for three consecutive seasons (1997–1999) in Magdalena Bay, enabling an assessment of the changes in the relative abundance of gray whales with altered temperature. The average temperature of the bay in 1998 was 4.2°C higher than in 1997 and 5.8°C higher than in 1999. The number of whale sightings during that time period was inversely related to temperature, with nearly 15 times greater relative abundance observed in 1999 than in 1998. It is hypochesized that the decreasing temperatures associated with the La Niña event of 1999 may have induced more whales to travel farther south along their migration route. Alternative hypotheses are also expiored. Comparisons of the three years are discussed with consideration of the importance of environmental conditions versus area fidelity as determining factors in the location of gray whale calving and breeding activities.     

Beaked whale auditory evoked potential hearing measurements

Several mass strandings of beaked whales have recently been correlated with military exercises involving mid-frequency sonar highlighting unknowns regarding hearing sensitivity in these species. We report the hearing abilities of a stranded juvenile beaked whale (Mesoplodon europaeus) measured with auditory evoked potentials. The beaked whale’s modulation rate transfer function (MRTF) measured with a 40-kHz carrier showed responses up to an 1,800 Hz amplitude modulation (AM) rate. The MRTF was strongest at the 1,000 and 1,200 Hz AM rates. The envelope following response (EFR) input–output functions were non-linear. The beaked whale was most sensitive to high frequency signals between 40 and 80 kHz, but produced smaller evoked potentials to 5 kHz, the lowest frequency tested. The beaked whale hearing range and sensitivity are similar to other odontocetes that have been measured.     

利用mtDNA序列及形态特征重新鉴定福建长乐搁浅喙鲸

<正>中国大陆沿岸属大陆棚水域,常见的齿鲸物种以近岸型的海豚科(Delphinidae)、小抹香鲸科(Kogiidae)及鼠海豚科(Phocaenidae)动物为主(王丕烈,2012),而喙鲸科(Ziphiidae)发现纪录相对较少,近年来仅由王丕烈等(2011)针对喙鲸科的中喙鲸属(Mesoplodon)标本进行检视校正,认为中国大陆沿岸存在柏氏中喙鲸     

Size at maturity and egg capsules of the softnose skates Bathyraja brachyurops (Fowler, 1910) and Bathyraja macloviana (Norman, 1937) (Elasmobranchii: Rajidae) in the SW Atlantic (37°00'–39°30'S)

The softnose skates Bathyraja brachyurops and Bathyraja macloviana represent an important portion of the skate catches of the Uruguayan trawling fleet in the southwestern Atlantic. From March to October 2004, specimens of these species were collected at 75–200 m depth range in the area situated between latitudes 37°00'–39°30'S. For B. brachyurops , total length at which 50% of the specimens were retained by the gear was 68.0 cm for both sexes; T _L50 was estimated at 65.4 cm for males and 67.0 cm for females. For B. macloviana, total length at which 50% of the specimens were retained was 56.0–57.0 cm for both sexes; T _L50 was estimated at 53.5 cm for males and 52.0 cm for females. Egg capsule length varied from 79–91 mm in B. brachyurops and 69–75.5 mm in B. macloviana . In both species, capsules displayed striated surfaces and similar gross morphology, although egg capsules of B. macloviana had more robust anterior horns and a smaller size than those of B. brachyurops . Egg capsules of the latter also exhibited microscopical prickles. Capsule edges were laterally keeled with a groove along the keel, and a straight and transverse velum was present in the egg capsules of both species.