Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

The Korean Society of Fisheries and Aquatic Science (한국수산과학회)
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Mitochondrial DNA-based investigation of dead rorqual (Cetacea: Balaenopteridae) from the west coast of India

  • Shantanu Kundu (Department of Marine Biology, Pukyong National University) ;
  • Manokaran Kamalakannan (Mammal & Osteology Section, Zoological Survey of India) ;
  • Dhriti Banerjee (Mammal & Osteology Section, Zoological Survey of India) ;
  • Flandrianto Sih Palimirmo (Research Center for Conservation of Marine and Inland Water Resources, National Research and Innovation Agency) ;
  • Arif Wibowo (Research Center for Conservation of Marine and Inland Water Resources, National Research and Innovation Agency) ;
  • Hyun-Woo Kim (Department of Marine Biology, Pukyong National University)
  • Received : 2023.08.03
  • Accepted : 2023.11.06
  • Published : 2024.01.30
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Abstract

The study assessed the utility of mitochondrial DNA for identifying a deceased rorqual discovered off the western coast of India. Both the COI and Cytb genes exhibited remarkable 99-100% similarity with the GenBank sequence of Balaenoptera musculus through a global BLAST search, confirming their affiliation with this species. Inter-species genetic distances for COI and Cytb genes ranged from 6.75% to 9.80% and 7.37% to 10.96% respectively, compared with other Balaenopteridae species. The Bayesian phylogenies constructed based on both COI and Cytb genes demonstrated clear and separate clustering for all Balaenopteridae species, further reaffirming their distinctiveness, while concurrently revealing a cohesive clustering pattern of the generated sequences within the B. musculus clade. Beyond species confirmation, this study provides valuable insights into the presence of live and deceased B. musculus individuals within Indian marine ecosystems. This information holds significant potential for guiding conservation efforts aimed at safeguarding Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) in India over the long term.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The first author (S.K.) thanks the Pukyong National University's Global Postdoc Program in South Korea. The authors are thankful to Dr. Arun Sathyam, Veterinary Officer, Forest Department, Kozhikode, Kerala for sampling the carcass. M.K. is grateful to Dr. V.D. Hegde, Scientist-E & Officer-in-Charge, Western Ghat Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Kozhikode, Kerala for the encouragement and facilities.

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