The host-speciﬁc whale louse (Cyamus boopis) as a potential tool for interpreting humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) migratory routes

Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Museu Nacional. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Museu Nacional. Departamento de Invertebrados. Laboratório de Carcinologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Museu Nacional. Departamento de Invertebrados. Laboratório de Carcinologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Marinhos da Região dos Lagos. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul. Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Conservação. Unidade do Litoral Norte. Osório, RS, Brasil / Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Aquáticos do Rio Grande do Sul. Torres, RS, Brasil.
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia. Laboratório de Crustáceos e Plâncton. Florianópolis, SC, Brasil.
University of Pretoria. Department of Zoology and Entomology. Mammal Research Institute. Sea Search Research and Conservation NPC. Muizenberd, Cape Town, South Africa.
University of Patagonia. CONICET. Centro Nacional Patagónico. Marine Mammal Laboratory. Puerto Madryn, Argentina.
Instituto Baleia Jubarte. Caravelas, BA, Brasil.
Associação de Pesquisa e Preservação de Ecossistemas Aquáticos. Centro de Reabilitação de Mamíferos Marinhos. Iparana, Caucaia, CE, Brasil.
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Instituto de Biologia. Departamento de Genética. Laboratório de Biodiversidade Molecular. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.

Abstract

The whale louse Cyamus boopis is a host-speciﬁc amphipod that parasitizes humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) across the world. Humpback whales from the Southern Hemisphere are currently separated into seven breeding stocks, each with its own migration route to/from Antarctic waters. The aim of this study was to determine the population structure of C. boopis from the Southern Hemisphere using cytochrome oxydase I sequences, and compare it to that of its host species found in previous studies. High haplotype and nucleotide diversities in C. boopis were observed, and the populations from western south Atlantic (WSA: Brazil+Argentina−Breeding stock A) and western south Paciﬁc (WSP: Australia - Breeding stock E) did not showanysigniﬁcantdiﬀerencebutwere diﬀerentiatedfrompopulations ofeasternsouth Atlantic (ESA: Namibia - Breeding stock B) and the north Paciﬁc. The genetic homogeneity between WSA and WSP populations, might reveal a higher genetic transfer within the Southern Hemisphere, since the feeding grounds of whales which are distributed throughout the circumpolar Southern Ocean could allow inter-mixing of individuals from diﬀerent breeding populations during the feeding season. The present data reinforces that population dynamics of humpback whales seem more complex than stable migration routes, which could have implications for both management of the species and cultural transmissions of behaviours.

Keywords in Portuguese

Ectoparasita
Hemisfério sul
Rotas migratórias
Estrutura genética
Piolho da baleia
Baleia Jubarte
Hemisfério Sul

Keywords

Ectoparasite
Host-speciﬁc whale louse
Southern Hemisphere
Whale lice
Genetic structure
COI

Publisher

Elsevier

Citation

IWASA-ARAI, Thammy et al. The host-speciﬁc whale louse (Cyamus boopis) as a potential tool for interpreting humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) migratory routes. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. v. 505, p. 45-51, May 2018.

DOI

10.1016/j.jembe.2018.05.001

ISSN

0022-0981

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.arca.fiocruz.br/handle/icict/31613

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Copyright

Restricted access

Embargo date

2030-01-01

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