De walvisluis Isocyamus delphinii (Guérin-Méneville, 1837) aangetroffen op een witsnuitdolfijn Lagenorhynchus albirostris (Gray, 1846) en massaal parasiterend op een bruinvis Phocoena phocoena (L. 1758)

• Main Author: Haelters, J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Dutch
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: Harbour porpoise; Lagenorhynchus albirostris; Phocoena phocoena; White-beaked dolphin
• Online Access: https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/334818.pdf

On 25 November 1999 an adult male harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena stranded alive at Middelkerke, Belgium. It died soon after stranding. The adult male measured 1.44 m and weighed 43 kg. The animal had a large number of healed ulcers all over the body, and two important infected wounds, next to some smaller infected ulcers. In the wounds, especially at the edges, a couple of hundreds of whale lice Isocyamus delphinii were observed. The number of whale lice and their position indicated that they prevented the wounds to heal, and probably contributed to the eventual death of the animal. This species of whale louse had been found on stranded or bycaught porpoises in Belgium on three previous occasions. From a 2.3 m long white-beaked dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris , bycaught in Belgian waters, 14 I. delphinii were collected. This whale louse has not been observed on any of the other white-beaked dolphins stranded or bycaught in Belgium.