Data from: Population differentiation of 2 forms of Bryde’s whales in the Indian and Pacific Oceans

Accurate identification of units for conservation is particularly
challenging for marine species as obvious barriers to gene flow are
generally lacking. Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera spp.) are subject to
multiple human-mediated stressors, including fisheries bycatch, ship
strikes, and scientific whaling by Japan. For effective management, a
clear understanding of how populations of each Bryde’s whale
species/subspecies are genetically structured across their range is
required. We conducted a population-level analysis of mtDNA control region
sequences with 56 new samples from Oman, Maldives, and Bangladesh, plus
published sequences from off Java and the Northwest Pacific. Nine
diagnostic characters in the mitochondrial control region and a maximum
parsimony phylogenetic analysis identified 2 genetically recognized
subspecies of Bryde’s whale: the larger, offshore form, B. edeni brydei,
and the smaller, coastal form, B. e. edeni. Genetic diversity and
differentiation indices, combined with a reconstructed maximum parsimony
haplotype network, indicate strong differences in the genetic diversity
and population structure within each subspecies. Discrete population units
are identified for B. e. brydei in the Maldives, Java, and the Northwest
Pacific, and for B. e. edeni between the Northern Indian Ocean (Oman and
Bangladesh) and the coastal waters of Japan.