Eubalaena glacialis

(O. F. Müller, 1776)

North Atlantic Right Whale

Taxonomy

Subclass : Theria
Infraclass : Placentalia
Magnorder : Boreoeutheria
Superorder : Laurasiatheria
Order : Artiodactyla
Suborder : Whippomorpha
Infraorder : Cetacea
Parvorder : Mysticeti
Family : Balaenidae
Genus : Eubalaena

Species status

Living
Found in the wild
Listed in MSW3 2005

Authority citation

Müller, O.F. 1776. Zoologiae Danicae Prodromus, seu Animalium Daniae et Norvegiae Indigenarum Characteres, Nomina, et Synonyma Imprimis Popularium. Havniae, Typis Hallageriis, Copenhagen, 282 pp.

Authority publication link

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41499648

Original name as described

Balaena glacialis

Other common names

Biscayan Right Whale · Black Right Whale · Nordcaper · Northern Right Whale

Type material

lost (number not known)

Type kind

nonexistent

Type locality

North Cape, Norway.

Biogeographic realm

Marine

Country distribution

Greenland · Iceland · Norway · United States · Bermuda · Canada · Portugal · Spain? · United Kingdom?

Subregion distribution

USA(AL,CT,DC,DE,FL,GA,LA,ME,MD,MA,MI,NH,NJ,NY,NC,RI,SC,VA,TX?)

Distribution notes

vagrant citings in Gulf of Mexico near Texas

Distribution references

Ward-Geiger, L.I., A.R. Knowlton, A.F. Amos, T.D. Pitchford, B. Mase-Guthrie and B.J. Zoodsma. 2011. Recent sightings of the North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of Mexico. Gulf of Mexico Science 2011(1): 74–78.

IUCN Red List status

Critically Endangered

Species Permalink

https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1006395

Country distribution map

The map below provides a general overview. Most species inhabit only specific regions within countries. Known distribution is shown in green and predicted distribution is in yellow. Hover over the highlighted regions to see the country name.

Names and synonyms

Present and past (if available) associated names to the species. Click on a name to view its details. If the list is long, scroll down to see more.

Macleayius britannicus

(J. E. Gray, 1870)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

britannica

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

BMNH:Mamm:1853.1.5.2 (= BMNH:Mamm:338f)

Type kind

holotype

Type specimen URI

https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/9f711837-01b7-4d5f-a87d-02b656c2e03c

Authority page

200

Authority publication

Annals and Magazine of Natural History

Balaena mysticetus var. angulata

(J. E. Gray, 1864)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

angulata

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

BMNH:Mamm:338j

Type kind

holotype

Type specimen URI

https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/d59ca6e0-9c0e-4b76-aa73-843260fbc8e9

Authority page

201

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28500502

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London

Balaena glacialis

(O. F. Müller, 1776)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

glacialis

Validity status

species

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

lost (number not known)

Type kind

nonexistent

Authority page

7

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41499648

Authority publication

Copenhagen

Name usages

  1. Illiger (1815:64, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11080920) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/38688)
  2. Billberg (1827:39) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67228)
  3. Lesson (1827:425, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/54207892) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36839)
  4. Honacki, Kinman & Koeppl (1982:303) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/63071)

Balaena cisarctica

(Cope, 1865)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

cisarctica

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

USNM:MAMM:301637

Type kind

holotype

Type specimen URI

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3b00fa66f-80f4-45a3-9279-90420ef80437

Authority page

169

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/1682266

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

Balæna cisartica

(Cope, 1865)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

cisartica

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

incorrectsubsequentspelling

Authority page

273

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/1682370

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

Halibalæna britannica

(J. E. Gray, 1873)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

britannica

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

140

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28504341

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London

Name usages

Gray (1873:140, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28504341) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67205)

Eubalaena glacialis

Corbet & J. Edwards Hill, 1980

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

glacialis

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

113

Authority publication

London

Name usages

  1. Corbet & Hill (1980:113) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/63069)
  2. Mead & Brownell (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/9684)
  3. Mittermeier & Wilson (2014:209) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67175)
  4. Mammal Diversity Database (2018:ID #41712) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67336)
  5. Mammal Diversity Database (2019:ID #41712) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67337)
  6. Mammal Diversity Database (2024, https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1006395) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67250)
  7. Schmidly, Bradley, Yancey & Bradley (2024:56) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67259)
  8. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (2024, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41712/178589687) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67246)

Balaena glacialis

(Borowski, 1781)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

glacialis

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

preoccupied

Authority page

18

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28342451

Authority publication

Berlin

Balaena (islandica)

(J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

islandica

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

notintendedasascientific_name

Authority page

223

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/25751443

Authority publication

Leipzig

Balaena glacialis

(Bonnaterre, 1789)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

glacialis

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

preoccupied

Authority page

3

Authority publication

Paris

Balaena Mysticetus islandica

(Kerr, 1792)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

islandica

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

357

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/38664387

Authority publication

Edinburgh

Balaena nordcaper

(de Lacépède, 1804)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

nordcaper

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

xxxvi, 103

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/51130822 https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/51130933

Authority publication

Paris

Name usages

  1. Fischer (1814:xxii, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/29130083) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/12226)
  2. Mead & Brownell (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/9684)

Balaena biscayensis

(Eschricht, 1860)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

biscayensis

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

229

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2264654

Authority publication

Revue et Magasin de Zoologie pure et appliquée

Name usages

  1. True (1885:591, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7306385) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/35039)
  2. Mead & Brownell (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/9684)

Balaena mediterranea

(J. E. Gray, 1870)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

mediterranea

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

198

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/29404706

Authority publication

Annals and Magazine of Natural History

Balaena eubalaena

(J. E. Gray, 1871)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

eubalaena

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

notusedas_valid

Authority page

44

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15945458

Authority publication

British Museum Catalogue

Balaena Van Benediana

(Capellini, 1873)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

vanbenediana

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

12 (footnote)

Authority publication

Memorie della Reale Accademie delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna

Balaena tarentina

(Capellini, 1877)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

tarentina

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

3

Authority publication

Memorie della Reale Accademie delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna

Balaena Van Benedeniana

(P. Fischer, 1881)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

vanbenedeniana

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

incorrectsubsequentspelling

Authority page

46

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32866354

Authority publication

Actes de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux

Balaena bizcayensis

(Rial, 1890)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

bizcayensis

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

notusedas_valid

Authority page

47

Authority publication

San Sebastián

Balaena euskariensis

(Rial, 1890)

Family

Balaenidae

Root name

euskariensis

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

96

Authority publication

San Sebastián

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