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A NEW SPECIES OF BEAKED WHALE MESOPLODON PERUVIANUS SP. N. (CETACEA: ZIPHIIDAE) FROM PERU
Author(s) -
Reyes Julio C.,
Mead James G.,
Waerebeek Koen Van
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
marine mammal science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.723
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1748-7692
pISSN - 0824-0469
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-7692.1991.tb00546.x
Subject(s) - beaked whale , cetacea , biology , whale , anatomy , zoology , ecology
A bstractMesoplodon peruvianus , a new species of beaked whale, is described on the basis of ten specimens which have either stranded or been captured between 11°12′S and 15°19′S latitude along the coasts of the provinces of Lima and Ica, south central Peru. This is the thirteenth living species of Mesoplodon recognized in the world's oceans. The animals that were examined were uniformly gray above, shading to lighter gray below. This whale is the smallest species of Mesoplodon (maximum body length 3.72 m) and is characterized by its teeth, which are small (31 to 65 mm long), ovate in cross section, and positioned 2.5% to 8.4% of the mandibular length from the anterior extremity, and posterior to the mandibular symphysis.