Revised taxonomy of eastern North Pacific killer whales (Orcinus orca): Bigg’s and resident ecotypes deserve species status

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 inclu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Royal Society Open Science
Main Authors: Phillip A. Morin, Morgan L. McCarthy, Charissa W. Fung, John W. Durban, Kim M. Parsons, William F. Perrin, Barbara L. Taylor, Thomas A. Jefferson, Frederick I. Archer
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Royal Society 2024
Subjects:
Cetacea
odontocete
speciation
Science
Q
Pacific
Killer Whale
Orca
Orcinus orca
Killer whale
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231368
https://doaj.org/article/52631c9f1ded4992902dd64ec10516f3
Description
Summary: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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