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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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:52631c9f1ded4992902dd64ec10516f3 2024-09-09T19:50:09+00:00 Revised taxonomy of eastern North Pacific killer whales (Orcinus orca): Bigg’s and resident ecotypes deserve species status 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 2024-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231368 https://doaj.org/article/52631c9f1ded4992902dd64ec10516f3 EN eng The Royal Society https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.231368 https://doaj.org/toc/2054-5703 doi:10.1098/rsos.231368 2054-5703 https://doaj.org/article/52631c9f1ded4992902dd64ec10516f3 Royal Society Open Science, Vol 11, Iss 3 (2024) Cetacea odontocete speciation Science Q article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231368 2024-08-05T17:48:52Z 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). Article in Journal/Newspaper Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Pacific Royal Society Open Science 11 3 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Cetacea odontocete speciation Science Q |
spellingShingle |
Cetacea odontocete speciation Science Q 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 Revised taxonomy of eastern North Pacific killer whales (Orcinus orca): Bigg’s and resident ecotypes deserve species status |
topic_facet |
Cetacea odontocete speciation Science Q |
description |
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). |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
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 |
author_facet |
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 |
author_sort |
Phillip A. Morin |
title |
Revised taxonomy of eastern North Pacific killer whales (Orcinus orca): Bigg’s and resident ecotypes deserve species status |
title_short |
Revised taxonomy of eastern North Pacific killer whales (Orcinus orca): Bigg’s and resident ecotypes deserve species status |
title_full |
Revised taxonomy of eastern North Pacific killer whales (Orcinus orca): Bigg’s and resident ecotypes deserve species status |
title_fullStr |
Revised taxonomy of eastern North Pacific killer whales (Orcinus orca): Bigg’s and resident ecotypes deserve species status |
title_full_unstemmed |
Revised taxonomy of eastern North Pacific killer whales (Orcinus orca): Bigg’s and resident ecotypes deserve species status |
title_sort |
revised taxonomy of eastern north pacific killer whales (orcinus orca): bigg’s and resident ecotypes deserve species status |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231368 https://doaj.org/article/52631c9f1ded4992902dd64ec10516f3 |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale |
genre_facet |
Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale |
op_source |
Royal Society Open Science, Vol 11, Iss 3 (2024) |
op_relation |
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.231368 https://doaj.org/toc/2054-5703 doi:10.1098/rsos.231368 2054-5703 https://doaj.org/article/52631c9f1ded4992902dd64ec10516f3 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231368 |
container_title |
Royal Society Open Science |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
3 |
_version_ |
1809919513022431232 |