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Morin PA, McCarthy ML, Fung CW, Durban JW, Parsons KM, Perrin WF, Taylor BL, Jefferson TA, Archer FI. Revised taxonomy of eastern North Pacific killer whales ( Orcinus orca): Bigg's and resident ecotypes deserve species status. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231368. [PMID: 38545612 PMCID: PMC10966402 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are currently recognized as a single ecologically and morphologically diverse, globally distributed species. Multiple morphotypes or ecotypes have been described, often associated with feeding specialization, and several studies have suggested taxonomic revision to include multiple subspecies or species in the genus. We review the ecological, morphological and genetic data for the well-studied 'resident' and Bigg's (aka 'transient') ecotypes in the eastern North Pacific and use quantitative taxonomic guidelines and standards to determine whether the taxonomic status of these killer whale ecotypes should be revised. Our review and new analyses indicate that species-level status is justified in both cases, and we conclude that eastern North Pacific Bigg's killer whales should be recognized as Orcinus rectipinnus (Cope in Scammon, 1869) and resident killer whales should be recognized as Orcinus ater (Cope in Scammon, 1869).
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip A. Morin
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA92037, USA
| | - Morgan L. McCarthy
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA92037, USA
| | - Charissa W. Fung
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British ColumbiaV6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - John W. Durban
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, OR97365, USA
| | - Kim M. Parsons
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Seattle, WA98112, USA
| | - William F. Perrin
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA92037, USA
| | - Barbara L. Taylor
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA92037, USA
| | - Thomas A. Jefferson
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA92037, USA
| | - Frederick I. Archer
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA92037, USA
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Mitani Y, Kita YF, Saino S, Yoshioka M, Ohizumi H, Nakahara F. Mitochondrial DNA Haplotypes of Killer Whales around Hokkaido, Japan. MAMMAL STUDY 2021. [DOI: 10.3106/ms2020-0072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Mitani
- Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, 20-5 Benten-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0051, Japan
| | - Yuki F. Kita
- Department of Marine Biology and Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Tokai University, Minami-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 005-8601, Japan
| | - Shigeo Saino
- Kobe Animals-and-Plants Environmental College, Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 658-0032, Japan
| | - Motoi Yoshioka
- Graduate School of Bioresources, Mie University, Kurimamachiya-cho, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ohizumi
- Department of Marine Biology, School of Marin Science and Technology, Tokai University, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka 424-8610, Japan
| | - Fumio Nakahara
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Science, Tokiwa University, Miwa, Mito, Ibaraki 310-8585, Japan
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