Speciation in the abyss - genomics and morphology reveal a new species of beaked whale

Earth’s deep oceans remains less well understood than the surface of Mars.
Beaked whales (ziphiids) are among the most visible inhabitants of the
abyss, due to their large size and worldwide distribution, yet their
diversity and ecology remain obscure. We combine genomic and morphometric
analyses to reveal a new Southern Hemisphere ziphiid species, Ramari’s
beaked whale, Mesoplodon eueu, whose name is linked to the Indigenous
people of the lands from which the species holotype and paratypes were
recovered. Mitogenome and ddRAD-derived phylogenies demonstrate
reciprocally monophyletic divergence between M. eueu and North Atlantic
True’s beaked whale (M. mirus), with which it was subsumed. Revised
morphometric analyses of skulls separate the species. A time-calibrated
mitogenome phylogeny and analysis of two nuclear genomes indicate
divergence began ca 2 million years ago (Ma), with geneflow ceasing
0.35-0.55 Ma. This is an example of how deep-sea biodiversity can be
unravelled through increasing international collaboration and genome
sequencing of archival specimens. Our consultation and involvement with
Indigenous groups offers a model for broadening the cultural scope of the
scientific naming process.