Deraniyagala's beaked whale

Deraniyagala's beaked whale (Mesoplodon hotaula) is a species of mesoplodont whale.[1]

Deraniyagala's beaked whale
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Family: Ziphiidae
Genus: Mesoplodon
Species:
M. hotaula
Binomial name
Mesoplodon hotaula

Taxonomy

Deraniyagala's beaked whale was once synonymous with the Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens), until several studies confirmed that M. hotaula was genetically different from M. ginkgodens. Like several other species of beaked whales, Deraniyagala's beaked whale is known only from stranded individuals, in this case, seven. The first stranding occurred in Sri Lanka, but was falsely identified as Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale by Moore and Gilmore, 1965. The two species were split due to DNA analysis by various organisations in the 2000s, with the seven individuals' control region, cytochrome b, cytochrome oxidase, and various introns taken for genetic analysis. It was found that genetic variance (Dα) of the cytochrome b between Deraniyagala's whale and the Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale was 8.2% ± 1.79%, whereas genetic variance range between 5.5% to 16.6% in other Mesoplodon species (the smaller the percentage, the lesser the genetic differences between the two species). It was first recognised by Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala in 1963 and was subsequently named after him.[2][3]

Distribution

Deraniyagala's beaked whale is known from only seven individuals that have stranded themselves on beaches of various islands in the Indian and South Pacific Oceans: Seychelles, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Gilbert Islands, Kiribati and Line Islands. It is thought that, like Cuvier's beaked whale, they live in insular populations (isolated communities).[4]

A potential sighting occurred in the South China Sea in May 2019, although it was possible the sighted whales were ginkgo-toothed beaked whales.[5][6]

Diet

Like other mesoplodont whales, it is thought that Deraniyagala's whale feeds mainly on deep-sea squid-and-fish.

See also

References
  1. Dalebout, M. L.; Baker, C. S.; Steel, D.; Thompson, K.; Robertson, K. M.; Chivers, S. J.; Perrin, W. F.; Goonatilake, M.; Anderson, R. C.; Mead, J. G.; Potter, C. W.; Thompson, L.; Jupiter, D.; Yamada, T. K. (2014). "Mesoplodon hotaula: Resurrection of Mesoplodon hotaula Deraniyagala, 1963: A New Species of Beaked Whale in the tropical Indo-Pacific ". Marine Mammal Science. 30 (3): 1081–1108. doi:10.1111/mms.12113. hdl:1957/51503.
  2. L. Dalebout, Merel; S. Baker, C.; Steel, Debbie; Thompson, Kirsten; M. Robertson, Kelly; J. Chivers, Susan; F. Perrin, William; Goonatilike, Manori; C. Anderson, R.; G. Mead, James; W. Potter, Charles; Thompson, Lisa; Jupiter, Danielle; K. Yamada, Tadasu (2014). "Resurrection of Mesoplodon hotaula Deraniyagala 1963: A new species of beaked whale in the tropical Indo-Pacific" (PDF). Marine Mammal Science. 30 (3): 1081–1108. doi:10.1111/mms.12113.
  3. L. Dalebout, Merel; S. Baker, C.; Steel, Debbie; Thompson, Kirsten; M. Robertson, Kelly; J. Chivers, Susan; F. Perrin, William; Goonatilake, Manori; C. Anderson, R.; G. Mead, James; W. Potter, Charles; K. Yamada, Tadasu; Thompson, Lisa; Jupiter, Danielle (2012). A Newly Recognised Beaked Whale (Ziphiidae) in the Tropical Indo-Pacific: Mesoplodon hotaula or M. ginkgodens hotaula. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Report). International Whaling Commission. SC-64-SM3. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
  4. L Brownell, Jr., Robert; L. Pitman, Robert; Baumann–Pickering, Simone (2013). "Deraniyagala's beaked whale, Mesoplodon hotaula: A review of current status, biology, threats and future research needs". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
  5. Hansen, Cypress (14 January 2021). "Rare beaked whale sighting could be a world first for the species". Mongabay. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  6. Rosso, Massimiliano; Lin, Mingli; Caruso, Francesco; Liu, Mingming; Dong, Lijun; Borroni, Anna; Lin, Wenzhi; Tang, Xiaoming; Bocconcelli, Alessandro; Li, Songhai (2 December 2020). "First live sighting of Deraniyagala's beaked whale (Mesoplodon hotaula) or ginkgo‐toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens) in the western Pacific (South China Sea) with preliminary data on coloration, natural markings, and surfacing patterns". Integrative Zoology: 1–11. doi:10.1111/1749-4877.12507.


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