GRAY WHALE BARNACLES CRYPTOLEPAS-RHACHIANECTI INFEST WHITE WHALES, DELPHINAPTERUS-LEUCAS, HOUSED IN SAN-DIEGO BAY

A whale barnacle, Cryptolepas rhachianecti (Dall), previously consider ed an obligate commensal for the gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus (Li lljeborg), infested white whales, Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas), hous ed in San Diego Bay. The infestation occurred annually between January and April in concert with the northward migration of the gray whale, and did not occur during years when the white whales were housed elsew here during these months. Although initial infestation elicited no app arent skin response, after successive years of exposure, massive cellu lar proliferation in the adjacent epidermis resulted in ejection of ba rnacles from the whales within a few weeks. This increasing epidermal response and the invasion of inflammatory cells at the juncture of ski n and barnacle shell is suggestive of an immune reaction to the barnac les.