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Megaptera novaeangliae (humpback whale)

Mammalia - Cetacea - Balaenopteridae

Taxonomy
Balaena novaeangliae was named by Brisson (1762) [Hershkovitz (1966) attributes this name to Borowski (1781) but Brisson (1762) clearly uses this name properly. No type specimen, not type locality other than "Coast of New England" (Hershkovitz, 1966).]. It is extant.

It was recombined as Megaptera novaeangliae by Kellogg (1932), Scheffer and Rice (1963), Hershkovitz (1966), Barnes (1977), Vidal (1991), Rice (1998), Bergqvist et al. (1999), Clapham and Mead (1999), Mead and Brownell (2005), Bouetel and Muizon (2006), Agnarsson and May-Collado (2008), Uhen et al. (2008), Marx (2011), Geisler et al. (2011), Tsai et al. (2014) and Marx and Fordyce (2015).

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1762Balaena novaeangliae Brisson p. 221
1780Balaena boops Fabricius p. 36
1780Balaena boops Fabricuius p. 36
1781Balaena novaeangliae Borowski p. 21
1789Balaena nodosa Bonnaterre p. 5
1829Balaena lalandii Fischer p. 525
1832Balaena longimana Rudolphi p. 133
1835Balaenoptera capensis Smith p. 130
1836Rorqualus antarcticus Cuvier p. 347
1841Balaenoptera antarctica Temminck
1842Balaenoptera leucopteron Lesson
1846Megaptera nodosa Gray p. 16
1846Balaena allamack Gray p. 17
1846Megaptera americana Gray p. 17
1846Megaptera antarctica Gray p. 17
1846Megaptera longimana Gray p. 17
1846Megaptera poeskop Gray p. 17
1846Balaena longipinna Gray p. 83
1846Megaptera longipinna Gray p. 83
1847Balaena boops Nilsson p. 639
1850Megaptera longimana Gray p. 26
1850Megaptera americana Gray p. 28
1850Megaptera poeskop Gray p. 29
1850Megaptera kuzira Gray p. 30
1850Physalus antarcticus Gray p. 43
1853Balaenoptera astrolabae Pucheran p. 42
1863Balaenoptera syncondylus Muller p. 38
1864Megaptera lalandii Gray p. 207
1864Megaptera longimana Gray p. 207
1864Megaptera novaezelandiae Gray p. 207
1865Megaptera osphyia Cope p. 180
1865Megaptera gigas Cope p. 1979
1865Megaptera longimana Flower p. 391
1866Megaptera longimana Gray p. 119
1866Poescopia lalandii Gray p. 126
1866Megaptera americana Gray p. 129
1866Megaptera burmeisteri Gray p. 129
1866Megaptera kuzira Gray p. 130
1866Physalus antarcticus Gray p. 164
1867Megaptera braziliensis Cope p. 32
1868Megaptera longimana Gray p. 2
1868Megaptera novaezelandiae Gray p. 2
1868Poescopia lalandii Gray p. 2
1868Kyphobalaena keporkak Van Beneden p. 109
1869Megaptera versabilis Cope p. 15
1871Megaptera bellicosa Cope p. 103
1873Megaptera novaezelandiae Gray p. 144
1875Megaptera novaezealandiae Hector p. 255
1880Megaptera boops Van Beneden and Gervais p. 121
1880Megaptera lalandii Van Beneden and Gervais p. 130
1883Megaptera indica Gervais p. 1566
1889Balaenoptera antarctica Ameghino p. 889
1889Megaptera burmeisteri Ameghino p. 890
1897Balaena atlanticus Hurdis p. 330
1898Megaptera burmeisteri Trouessart p. 1084
1902Megaptera boops Hay p. 600
1902Megaptera longimana Hay p. 600
1904Balaenoptera antarctica Trouessart p. 783
1904Megaptera burmeisteri Trouessart p. 785
1904Megaptera indica Trouessart p. 785
1904Megaptera kusira Trouessart p. 785
1904Megaptera nodosa Trouessart p. 785
1904Megaptera nodosa bellicosa Trouessart p. 785
1904Megaptera nodosa novaezelandiae Trouessart p. 785
1904Megaptera nodosa osphyia Trouessart p. 785
1904Megaptera versabilis Trouessart p. 785
1912Megaptera boops Turner p. 65
1922Megaptera nodosa Oliver p. 564
1930Megaptera nodosa Hay p. 575
1932Megaptera novaeangliae Kellogg p. 148
1952Megaptera nodosa Sherman p. 99
1963Megaptera novaeangliae Scheffer and Rice p. 9
1966Megaptera novaeangliae Hershkovitz p. 177
1977Megaptera novaeangliae Barnes p. 323 figs. Table 1
1991Megaptera novaeangliae Vidal p. 6
1998Megaptera novaeangliae Rice p. 67
1999Megaptera novaeangliae Bergqvist et al. p. 31
1999Megaptera novaeangliae Clapham and Mead p. 1
2005Megaptera novaeangliae Mead and Brownell p. 725
2006Megaptera novaeangliae Bouetel and Muizon p. 386
2008Megaptera novaeangliae Agnarsson and May-Collado p. 981 figs. Fig. 5
2008Megaptera novaeangliae Uhen et al. p. 620
2011Megaptera novaeangliae Geisler et al. p. 6 figs. Table 1
2011Megaptera novaeangliae Marx p. 83 figs. Figure 2
2014Megaptera novaeangliae Tsai et al. p. 86
2015Megaptera novaeangliae Marx and Fordyce p. 4 figs. Figure 2

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
subclassSynapsida
Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
Mammaliamorpha
Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
Theriamorpha(Rowe 1993)
Theriiformes()
RankNameAuthor
Trechnotheria
Cladotheria
Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
Eutheria()
Placentalia
Boreoeutheria
Laurasiatheria
Scrotifera
Euungulata
Artiodactylamorpha
Artiodactyla()
Whippomorpha
orderCetacea
Pelagiceti
Neoceti
suborderMysticeti
Chaeomysticeti()
Balaenomorpha
superfamilyThalassotherii
familyBalaenopteridae
genusMegaptera
speciesnovaeangliae()

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Megaptera novaeangliae Brisson 1762 [humpback whale]
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Invalid names: Balaena allamack Gray 1846 [synonym], Balaena atlanticus Hurdis 1897 [synonym], Balaena boops Fabricius 1780 [synonym], Balaena lalandii Fischer 1829 [synonym], Balaena longimana Rudolphi 1832 [synonym], Balaena longipinna Gray 1846 [objective synonym], Balaenoptera antarctica Temminck 1841 [synonym], Balaenoptera astrolabae Pucheran 1853 [synonym], Balaenoptera capensis Smith 1835 [synonym], Balaenoptera leucopteron Lesson 1842 [synonym], Balaenoptera syncondylus Muller 1863 [synonym], Kyphobalaena keporkak Van Beneden 1868 [synonym], Megaptera americana Gray 1846 [synonym], Megaptera bellicosa Cope 1871 [synonym], Megaptera braziliensis Cope 1867 [synonym], Megaptera burmeisteri Gray 1866 [synonym], Megaptera gigas Cope 1865 [synonym], Megaptera indica Gervais 1883 [synonym], Megaptera kuzira Gray 1850 [synonym], Megaptera lalandii Gray 1864 [synonym], Megaptera nodosa Bonnaterre 1789 [synonym], Megaptera novaezelandiae Gray 1864 [synonym], Megaptera osphyia Cope 1865 [synonym], Megaptera poeskop Gray 1846 [synonym], Megaptera versabilis Cope 1869 [synonym], Poescopia lalandii Gray 1866 [synonym], Rorqualus antarcticus Cuvier 1836 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
partNmean

Composition: hydroxyapatitesubo
Form: roller-shapedo
Ontogeny: modification of partso
Environment: marinesubo
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: aquaticsubo
Depth habitat: surfaceo
Diet: suspension feederf
Reproduction: viviparouso
Created: 2005-06-08 10:11:09
Modified: 2005-06-08 12:11:09
Source: f = family, subo = suborder, o = order
References: Nowak 1991, Uhen 2004

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Pliocene to the top of the Holocene or 3.60000 to 0.00000 Ma

Collections (23 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Neogene23.03 - 2.588South Pacific Balaenoptera antarctica (99587)
Late/Upper Pliocene - Early/Lower Pleistocene3.6 - 0.781Taiwan Megaptera novaeangliae (206745)
Middle Pleistocene0.781 - 0.126Japan (Chiba) Megaptera novaeangliae (96893)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.126 - 0.0117Canada (Ontario) Megaptera boops (51020)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.126 - 0.0117Brazil Megaptera sp. (54181)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.126 - 0.0117Denmark Megaptera novaeangliae (76056 159731)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.126 - 0.0117Canada (Quebec) Megaptera novaeangliae (51021)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.126 - 0.0117Taiwan Megaptera novaeangliae (73686)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Angola Megaptera novaeangliae (167967)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Svalbard and Jan Mayen Megaptera novaeangliae (167972)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Maine) Megaptera novaeangliae (167965)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0New Caledonia Megaptera novaeangliae (83481)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Peru Megaptera novaeangliae (167969)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) Megaptera novaeangliae (162177)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0India Megaptera novaeangliae (167970)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Japan Megaptera novaeangliae (51310 82088)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Oregon) Megaptera novaeangliae (167968 224273)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Denmark Megaptera novaeangliae (159712)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Antarctica Megaptera novaeangliae (167971)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Brazil Megaptera novaeangliae (167966)