Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-10-30T18:48:17.706Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Colour patterns and pigmentation variability on striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba in north-western Mediterranean Sea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2008

Massimiliano Rosso*
Affiliation:
Interuniversity Research Center for Environmental Monitoring—CIMA Foundation, Via Magliotto, 2, 17100 Savona, Italy Department of Biology, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV 5, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Aurélie Moulins
Affiliation:
Interuniversity Research Center for Environmental Monitoring—CIMA Foundation, Via Magliotto, 2, 17100 Savona, Italy
Maurizio Würtz
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV 5, 16132 Genoa, Italy
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Massimiliano Rosso, Interuniversity Research Center for Environmental Monitoring, CIMA Foundation, Via Magliotto, 2, 17100 Savona, Italy email: massimiliano.rosso@cima.unige.it

Abstract

Studies on differences in external morphology and pigmentation patterns were historically carried out using stranded individuals or opportunistic sightings; few studies have involved sampling systematically free-ranging individuals. In order to investigate and describe main pigmentation characteristics, outlining ‘typical’ regional pigmentations, this work analysed systematic photographic information taken on free-ranging striped dolphins, Stenella coeruleoalba. Photographs of dolphins in the Ligurian Sea were collected between May 2004 and December 2006. All individuals were described by the presence/absence of pigmentation variables and by differences in colour shades. The frequency of all the pigmentation variables analysed is stable in the population (10 ‘gene’ variables, 19 ‘allele’ variables), and remains similar between each different group of dolphins. But population presents widespread pigmentation variability between specimens, allowing identification even at single individual level. Cluster analysis also found that the majority of the pigmentations derive from two main colour patterns, called ‘mat’ and ‘pale’ patterns (fmat = 0.68; fpale = 0.12). The Bray–Curtis index showed a high variability of the intra-group pigmentation distance between groups. This resulted in a positive correlation between group size and ‘intra-group’ pigmentation distance: the distance increases rapidly up to a group size of 40 individuals. According to the results obtained, the striped dolphins seem to be concentrated in small groups in which there is a large phenotypic similarity among individuals. These small units could be associated between them to form temporary large groups observed only in pelagic waters.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Acquarone, M. and Notarbartolo di Sciara, G. (1992) Pigmentation patterns of the striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, (Meyen, 1833) in the Central Mediterranean Sea. In Evans, P.G.H. (ed.) Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Conference of the European Research on Cetaceans, San Remo, Italy, 20–22 February, 1992 Cambridge: European Cetacean Society, pp. 203205.Google Scholar
Agler, B.A., Beard, J.A., Bowman, R.S., Corbett, H.D., Frohock, S.E., Hawvermale, M.P., Katona, S.E., Sadove, S.S. and Seipt, I.E. (1990) Finback whale, Balaenoptera physalus, photographic identification: methodology and preliminary results from the Western North Atlantic. Report of the International Whaling Commission 12 (Special Issue), 349356.Google Scholar
Amano, M. and Miyazaki, N. (1996) Geographic variation in external morphology of Dall's porpoise, Phocoenoides dalli. Aquatic Mammals 22, 167174.Google Scholar
Archer, F.I. (1996) Morphological and genetic variation of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba, Meyen 1833). PhD thesis, University of California, San Diego, USA.Google Scholar
Blackmer, A.L., Anderson, K. and Weinrich, M.T. (2000) Temporal variability in features used to photo-identify humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Marine Mammal Science 16, 338354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bourret, V.J.R., Macé, M.R.J.M. and Crouau-Roy, B. (2007) Genetic variation and population structure of western Mediterranean and northern Atlantic Stenella coeruleoalba populations inferred from microsatellite data. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 87, 265269.Google Scholar
Braham, H.W. and Rice, D.W. (1984) The right whale, Balaena glacialis. Marine Fisheries Review 46, 3844.Google Scholar
Bray, J.R. and Curtis, J.T. (1957) An ordination of the upland forest communities of southern Wisconsin. Ecological Monographs 27, 325349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cagnolaro, L., Cozzi, B., Magnaghi, L., Podestà, M., Poggi, R. and Tangerini, P. (1986) Su 18 cetacei piaggiati sulle coste italiane dal 1981 al 1985. Rilevamento biometrico ed osservazioni necroscopiche. Atti della Società Italiana Scienze Naturale del Musec Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano 127, 79106.Google Scholar
Cairns, J.S. and Schwager, S.J. (1987) A comparison of association indices. Animal Behaviour 35, 14541469.Google Scholar
Calzada, N. and Aguilar, A. (1995) Geographic variation of body size in the Mediterranean striped dolphin. Zeitschrift für Saeugetierkunde 60, 257264.Google Scholar
Dorsey, E.M. (1983) Exclusive adjoining ranges in individually identified minke whales in Washington State. Canadian Journal of Zoology 61, 174181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, W.E., Yablokov, A.V. and Bowles, A.E. (1982) Geographic variation in the colour pattern of killer whales (Orcinus orca). Report of the International Whaling Commission 32, 687694.Google Scholar
Forcada, J., Aguilar, A., Hammond, P.S., Pastor, X. and Aguilar, R. (1994) Distribution and numbers of striped dolphin in the Western Mediterranean Sea after the 1990 epizootic outbreak. Marine Mammal Science 10, 137150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fraser, F.C. and Noble, B.A. (1970) Variation of pigmentation pattern in Meyen's dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen). Investigation on Cetacea 2, 147163.Google Scholar
Gannier, A. and David, L. (1997) Day and night distribution of the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) in the area off Antibes (Ligurian Sea). In Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual Conference of the European Research on Cetaceans, Stralsund, Germany, 10–12 March. Cambridge: European Cetacean Society, pp. 160163.Google Scholar
Gaspari, S., Azzellino, A., Airoldi, S. and Hoelzel, A.R. (2007) Social kin associations and genetic sctructuring of striped dolphin population (Stenella coeruleoalba) in the Mediterranean Sea. Molecular Ecology 16, 29222933.Google Scholar
Hammond, P.S., Mizroch, S.A. and Donovan, G.P. (1990) Individual recognition of cetaceans: use of photo-identification and other techniques to estimate population parameters. Report of the International Whaling Commission 12 (Special Issue), 332376.Google Scholar
Herman, L.M., Baker, C.S., Forestell, P.H. and Antinoja, R.C. (1980) Right whale, Balaena glacialis, sightings near Hawaii: a clue to wintering grounds? Marine Ecology Progress Series 2, 271275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heyning, J.E. and Perrin, W.F. (1994) Two forms of common dolphin (genus Delphinus) from the Eastern Northern Pacific; evidence for two species. Contribution in Science, Natural History Museum of the Los Angeles County 442, 135.Google Scholar
Houck, W.J. and Jefferson, T.A. (1999) Dall's porpoise—Phocoenoides dalli (True, 1885). In Ridgway, S.H. and Harrison, S.R. (eds) Handbook of marine mammals. Vol. 6: the second book of dolphins and porpoises. London: Academic Press, pp. 443472.Google Scholar
Jefferson, T.A. (1988) Phocoenoides dalli. Mammalian Species 470, 319: 17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Katona, S.K. and Whitehead, H.P. (1981). Identifying humpback whales using their natural markings. Polar Record 20, 439444.Google Scholar
Perrin, W.F., Akin, P.A. and Kashiwada, J.V. (1991) Geographic variation in external morphology of the spinner dolphin Stenella longirostris in the eastern Pacific and implications for conservation. Fishery Bulletin 89, 411428.Google Scholar
Perrin, W.F., Wilson, C.E. and Archer, F.I. II (1994) Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833). In Ridgway, S.H. and Harrison, R. (eds) Handbook of marine mammals. Vol. 5: the first book of dolphins. London: Academic Press, pp. 129159.Google Scholar
Perrin, W.F. (1997) Development and homologies of head stripes in the delphinoid cetaceans. Marine Mammal Science 13, 143.Google Scholar
Ringelstein, J., Pusineri, C., Hassani, S., Meynier, L., Nicolas, R. and Ridoux, V. (2006) Food and feeding ecology of the striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, in the oceanic waters of the north-east Atlantic. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 86, 909918.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosso, M., Siliceo Aznar, I., Corsi, A. and Würtz, M. (2006) Pigmentation patterns variability of the striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833) in the Ligurian Sea. In Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual Conference of the European Research on CetaceansGydnia, Poland 2–7 April, 2006. Cambridge: European Cetacean society. In press.Google Scholar
Schaeff, C.M. and Hamilton, P.K. (1999) Genetic basis and evolutionary significance of ventral skin colour markings in North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis). Marine Mammal Science 15, 701711.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaeff, C.M., Kraus, S.D., Brown, M.W., Gaskin, D., Perkins, J., Payne, R., Boag, B. and White, B.N. (1991) Preliminary analysis of mitochondrial DNA variation within and between right whale species Eubalaena glacialis and E. australis. In Hoelzel, A.R. (ed.) Genetic ecology of whales and dolphins. International Whaling Commission 13, 217224.Google Scholar
Sears, R., Williamson, J.M., Wenzel, F.W., Bérubé, M., Gendron, D. and Jones, P. (1990) Photographic identification of the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) in the Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada. Report of the International Whaling Commission 12 (Special Issue), 335348.Google Scholar
Shane, S.H. (1990) Behavior and ecology of the bottlenose dolphin at Sanibel Island, Florida. In Leatherwood, S. and Reeves, R.R. (eds) The bottlenose dolphin. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, pp. 245265.Google Scholar
Stockin, K.A. and Visser, I.N. (2005) Anomalously pigmented common dolphins (Delphinus sp.) off northern New Zealand. Aquatic Mammals 31, 4351.Google Scholar
Valsecchi, E., Amos, W., Raga, J.A., Podestà, M. and Sherwin, W. (2006) The effects of inbreeding on mortality during a morbillivirus outbreak in the Mediterranean striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). Animal Conservation 7, 139146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Würtz, M. and Marrale, D. (1993) Food of striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba in the Ligurian Sea. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 73, 571578.Google Scholar