https://doi.org/10.82144/2685996b https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/1341 https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d021ecf4-ba32-4e60-b6bb-75deb3b6b2ab https://obis.org/dataset/8e04abe1-117b-4b9d-a488-89a4e8fd8bca Shiro Wada National Research Institute of Fisheries Science Primary contact shiro.wada@jcom.zaq.ne.jp OBIS-SEAMAP Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University

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seamap-contact@duke.edu https://seamap.env.duke.edu OBIS-SEAMAP Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University

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seamap-contact@duke.edu https://seamap.env.duke.edu distributor Shiro Wada National Research Institute of Fisheries Science Primary contact shiro.wada@jcom.zaq.ne.jp owner 2025-07-31 eng Original provider: National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries Dataset credits: Shiro Wada, National Research Institute of Fisheries Science Masayuki Oishi, Iwate Prefectural Museum Tadasu K. Yamada, National Science Museum Abstract: In the late 1970s eight Balaenoptera specimens of unknown identity were caught in the lower latitudinal Indo-Pacific waters by Japanese research whaling vessels. The combination of the allozyme patterns and physical maturity of the eight specimens separated them from all acknowledged Balaenoptera species. In September 1998 we collected a medium-sized baleen whale carcass on a coastal island in the Sea of Japan. This specimen and the previously collected eight specimens resembled Balaenoptera physalus (fin whale) in external appearance but were much smaller. Comparison of external morphology, osteology and mitochondrial DNA data grouped the nine specimens as a single species but separated them from all known baleen whale species. Therefore, here we describe a new species of Balaenoptera, which is characterized by its unique cranial morphology, its small number of baleen plates, and by its distant molecular relationships with all of its congeners. Our analyses also separated Balaenoptera brydei (Bryde's whale) and Balaenoptera edeni (Eden's whale) into two distinct species, raising the number of known living Balaenoptera species to eight. Occurrence GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type.xml Observation GBIF Dataset Subtype Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_subtype.xml Marine Biology Visual sighting Marine Animal Survey Marine mammals Stranding Catch Vessel N/A Data are digitized from the Nature paper. The holotype belongs to the Japanese National Science Museum. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License. https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/1341 Oceans,Pacific,Indian Ocean 94.483 157.933 34.35 9.817 1976-10-24 1998-11-09 Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). species Balaenoptera omurai Omurai's whale The eight specimens were caught as "Bryde's whales" for the biological investigation under a special permit. Fresh appearance of whole ventral side was provided from a whale on deck of the research vessel. notPlanned Shiro Wada National Research Institute of Fisheries Science Primary contact shiro.wada@jcom.zaq.ne.jp NA NA NA Shiro Wada owner NA zd_1341 2025-07-31T16:41:14-04:00 dataset Wada, S. 2016. Catches or strandings of Balaenoptera omurai. Version 1.0.0. Dataset published in OBIS-SEAMAP. https://doi.org/10.82144/2685996b. OBIS-SEAMAP Dataset Page UTF-8 Interactive map https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/1341 FGDC Metadata UTF-8 XML https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/1341/fgdc EML Metadata UTF-8 XML https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/1341/eml OBIS-SEAMAP zd_1341 zd_1341 Wada, S., M. Oishi and T. K. Yamada. 2003. A newly discovered species of living baleen whale. Nature: 426, 278-281.