Please, find below a new contribution about crustaceans
ectoparasities and epibionts of humpback whales in the Colombian Pacific.
If
you would like an electronic pdf copy, please contact me (isabel_c_avila@yahoo.com).
Abstract: We recorded three
species of crustacean ectoparasites and epibionts in
two calves and four adults of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that in the
breeding season 2010 visited PNN Gorgona and
Bahía Málaga, Colombian Pacific: the amphipod Cyamus boopis and the barnacles Coronula diadema and Conchoderma auritum. These crustaceans
adhere to calves and adults and are present in the caudal fin, dorsal fin, back
of the body (near the blowhole) and ventral side of the lower jaw.
Ectoparasites and epibionts recorded here may influence the movement, feeding
and behavior of whales. We found a calf of no more than three months of age
with epibionts: epibionts seem to attach to whales in tropical waters,
most likely in Colombian waters.
Avila I.C., L.M. Cuellar & J.R.
Cantera. 2011. Crustaceans ectoparasites and epibionts of humpback whales, Megaptera
novaeangliae (Cetacea: Balaenopteridae), in the Colombian Pacific. UNED
Research Journal / Cuadernos de Investigación UNED 3 (2): 177-185.
Isabel Cristina Avila Jiménez
Biologist MSc.
Cali, Colombia, South America
E-mail: isabel_c_avila@yahoo.com