Dear Colleagues, We are happy to announce the publication of our note in Marine Mammal Science entitled: "Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas, Traill 1809) subspecies in the Atlantic Ocean: Are there differences in their skulls?” by T.I. Marina, M.C. Marchesi and R.N.P Goodall, DOI: 10.1111/mms.12548.
In this note, we employed traditional morphometrics to characterize in detail the skull morphometry of the two subspecies of long-finned pilot whale (G. melas melas and G. melas edwardii) in the Atlantic Ocean and compare them in order to provide new information about their cranial structure, as well as to contribute to the taxonomic resolution of the subspecies. We hypothesized morphometric differences in the skull of both subspecies, based on the fact that they are completely isolated and on the presence of analogous skull distinction in the short- and long-finned pilot whale species, and in the eastern and western North Atlantic populations of the long-finned pilot whale. This is the first study that characterizes and compares the skull morphometry of the two long-finned pilot whale subspecies in detail. Our results lead to the conclusion that these subspecies exhibit significant differences in skull morphology in the Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, we suggest functional implications for feeding habits, diving behavior and sound production that should be tested in future studies. You can access the article at:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12548 If you cannot download the publication, you can request a pdf copy by emailing the leading author: [email protected] Regards, Lic. María Constanza Marchesi Doctoral Fellow, Laboratorio de Mamíferos Marinos, Centro para el Estudio de los Sistemas Marinos (CESIMAR, CENPAT-CONICET), Puerto Madryn, Argentina >
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