Accumulations of fossils of the whale barnacle coronula bifida bronn, 1831 (Thoracica: Coronulidae) provides evidence of a late pliocene cetacean migration route through the straits of Taiwan

This paper describes a remarkably prolific accumulation of the whale barnacle Coronula bifida Bronn, 1831 in sediments of late Pliocene to earliest Pleistocene age from central Taiwan. Extant Coronula is host-specific to baleen whales; as such, this accumulation of Coronula fossils represents a site where cetaceans congregated during the Plio-Pleistocene-perhaps for breeding. Although whale bones are found at the site, they are rare and fragmentary; the relatively robust shells of Coronula are thus a useful proxy for establishing ancient cetacean migration routes.