Epizoic barnacle (<i>Xenobalanus globicipitis</i>) infestations in several cetacean species in south-eastern Brazil
Salvatore Siciliano, Júlio Cardoso, Arlaine Francisco, Shirley Pacheco de Souza, Rachel Ann Hauser‐Davis, Tammy Iwasa‐Arai
Abstract
The sessile barnacle Xenobalanus globicipitis was observed on multiple cetacean species during field surveys off the northern coast of São Paulo state, Brazil. However, the occurrence of X. globicipitis in cetaceans in Brazilian waters has been, up to now, scarce. In the present study, this epibiont is reported for the first time in orcas (Orcinus orca), rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) and Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) from south-eastern Brazil. Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) and common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have also been infested. This is the first world record of X. globicipitis in Balaenoptera brydei and Stenella frontalis. All records were photographed and may reveal changes in this barnacle’s settlement in 2018 and 2019. The possible causes for these infestations are discussed, including anthropogenic activities and recent oceanic events.