Speciation in the abyss - genomics and morphology reveal a new species of beaked whale
Emma L. Carroll, Michael R. McGowen, Morgan L. McCarthy, Felix G. Marx, Natacha Aguilar De Soto, Merel L. Dalebout, Sascha Dreyer, Oscar E. Gaggiotti, Sabine S. Hansen, Anton Van Helden, Aubrie B. Onoufriou, Robin W. Baird, C. Scott Baker, Simon Berrow, Danielle Cholewiak, Diane Claridge, Rochelle Constantine, Nicholas J. Davison, Catarina Eira, R. Ewan Fordyce, John Gatesy, G. J. Greg Hofmeyr, Vidal Martin, James G. Mead, Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni … & Morten T. Olsen
Earth’s deep oceans remains less well understood than the surface of Mars. Beaked whales (ziphiids) are among the most visible inhabitants of the abyss, due to their large size and worldwide distribution, yet their diversity and ecology remain obscure. We combine genomic and morphometric analyses to reveal a new Southern Hemisphere ziphiid species, Ramari’s beaked whale, Mesoplodon eueu, whose name is linked to the Indigenous people of the lands from which the species holotype and...