Presence of an interparietal bone and morphological variation in the vertex of the skull in North Pacific common minke whale

DOI Web Site
  • NAKAMURA Gen
    1）Laboratory of Cetacean Biology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
  • TAKAHASHI Megumi
    1）Laboratory of Cetacean Biology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
  • HIROSE Ayumi
    1）Laboratory of Cetacean Biology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
  • HAYASHI Ryotaro
    1）Laboratory of Cetacean Biology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
  • FUJISE Yoshihiro
    Institute of Cetacean Research
  • MIYAKAWA Naoko
    1）Laboratory of Cetacean Biology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
  • INOUE Satoko
    1）Laboratory of Cetacean Biology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
  • KATO Hidehiro
    1）Laboratory of Cetacean Biology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 北太平洋産ミンククジラの頭骨頭頂部における形態学的多様性と頭頂間骨の発見

Search this article

Abstract

The vertex of the skull is regarded as one of the most important categorical traits in taxonomy in baleen whales. However the previously reported species-specific characteristics for the North Pacific common minke whale, were based on only a very limited number of specimens Therefore, we aimed to assess the efficacy of these morphological characteristics as categorical traits, based on specimens of North Pacific common minke whales collected from the JARPNII survey（n =106）. The frontal border of the nasal bones, as well as the positional relationship of the end of premaxilla and the nasal bones, were varied widely by individual, indicating that these traits are not appropriate for species classification. However, the end of the maxilla was located posteriorly to the end of the premaxilla and the nasal bones in all whales surveyed. Therefore, we conclude that this characteristics can serve as universal species-specific morphological characteristics for the North Pacific common minke whales. Furthermore, we found an interparietal bone in all whales surveyed. This bone has been regarded as one of the specific character of “dwarf” minke and have not been reported from any common minke whales in the North Pacific.

Journal

  • La mer

    La mer 54 (1-2), 1-10, 2016

    The Japanese-French Oceanographic Society

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top