Eschrichtius robustus

(W. Lilljeborg, 1861)

Gray Whale

Taxonomy

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

Species status

Living
Found in the wild
Listed in MSW3 2005

Authority citation

Forh. Skand. Naturf. Ottende Mode, Kopenhagen, vol. 1860, 8, 602 . Lilljeborg, Wilhelm. 1861e. Hvalben funna i jorden på Gräsön i Roslagen i Sverige. (Cf. Lilljeborg 1860c, 1862, and 1867a.) – Forh. skand. Naturf. Möde 8: 599-616.

Original name as described

Balaenoptera robusta

Other common names

California Gray Whale · Devilfish · Hard-head · Mussel Digger · Rip Sack · Scrag Whale

Type material

UUZM type #205

Type kind

holotype

Type locality

"på Gräsön i Roslagan," Graso Island, Uppland, Sweden.

Biogeographic realm

Marine

Country distribution

Canada · China · Japan · Mexico · Russia · United States · Iceland? · North Korea? · South Korea? · Vietnam?

Subregion distribution

USA(CA,OR,WA,AK)

Taxonomy notes

moved from Eschrichtiidae to Balaenopteridae; genetic data places the species paraphyletically within Balaenoptera, indicating that Eschrichtius is either included within the genus, or Balaenoptera should be split into multiple genera

Taxonomy notes citation

McGowen, M. R., Tsagkogeorga, G., Álvarez-Carretero, S., dos Reis, M., Struebig, M., Deaville, R., ... & Rossiter, S. J. (2020). Phylogenomic resolution of the cetacean tree of life using target sequence capture. Systematic Biology, 69(3), 479-501.

IUCN Red List status

Least Concern

Species Permalink

https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1006404

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.

Balaenoptera robusta

(W. Lilljeborg, 1861)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

robustus

Validity status

species

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

UUZM type #205

Type kind

holotype

Authority page

602

Authority publication

Copenhagen

Rhachianectes glaucus

(Cope, 1869)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

glaucus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

15

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6587900

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

Name usages

  1. True (1885:590, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7306384) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/35039)
  2. Bailey (1936:338, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/25806271) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/35313)

Eschrichtius robustus

Honacki, Kinman, & Koeppl, 1982

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

robustus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

302

Authority publication

Lawrence

Name usages

  1. Honacki, Kinman & Koeppl (1982:302) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/63071)
  2. Mead & Brownell (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/9684)
  3. O'Brien, Menninger & Nash (2006:559) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/7321)
  4. Mittermeier & Wilson (2014:240) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67175)
  5. Mammal Diversity Database (2018:ID #8097) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67336)
  6. Mammal Diversity Database (2019:ID #8097) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67337)
  7. Mammal Diversity Database (2024, https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1006404) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67250)
  8. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (2024, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/8097/50353881) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67246)

Agaphelus glaucus

(Cope, 1868)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

glaucus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

160

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9768309

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

Name usages

Mead & Brownell (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/9684)

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