Megaptera novaeangliae

(Borowski, 1781)

Humpback Whale

Taxonomy

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

Species status

Living
Found in the wild
Listed in MSW3 2005

Authority citation

Borowski, G.H. 1781. Gemeinnüzzige Naturgeschichte des Thierreichs. Gottlieb August Lange, Berlin, 196 pp.

Authority publication link

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28342454

Original name as described

Balaena Novae Angliae

Other common names

Bunch Whale · Hump Whale · Hunchback Whale

Type material

lost (number not known)

Type kind

nonexistent

Type locality

"de la nouvelle Angleterre," (coast of New England, USA).

Biogeographic realm

Marine

Country distribution

American Samoa · Angola · Anguilla · Antarctica · Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Aruba · Australia · Bahamas · Bahrain · Barbados · Belgium · Belize · Benin · Bermuda · Bonaire · Sint Eustatius · Saba · Brazil · Brunei · Cape Verde · Cameroon · Canada · Cayman Islands · Chile · Cocos Islands · Colombia · Comoros · Republic of the Congo · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Cook Islands · Costa Rica · Cuba · Curaçao · Cote d'Ivoire · Denmark · Djibouti · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Galápagos Islands · Egypt · El Salvador · Equatorial Guinea · Falkland Islands · Fiji · France · French Guiana · French Polynesia · Gabon · Gambia · Germany · Ghana · Greenland · Grenada · Guadeloupe · Guam · Guatemala · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Honduras · Iceland · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Ireland · Israel · Jamaica · Japan · Jordan · Kenya · Kiribati · North Korea · South Korea · Kuwait · Liberia · Madagascar · Malaysia · Maldives · Marshall Islands · Martinique · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mayotte · Mexico · Micronesia · Montserrat · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Nauru · Netherlands · New Caledonia · New Zealand · Nicaragua · Nigeria · Niue · Norfolk Island · Northern Marianas · Norway · Oman · Pakistan · Palau · Panama · Papua New Guinea · Peru · Philippines · Pitcairn · Portugal · Azores · Madeira · Puerto Rico · Qatar · Russia · Réunion · Saint Barthélemy · Saint Helena · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Sint Maarten · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · São Tomé and Príncipe · Saudi Arabia · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Singapore · Christmas Island · Solomon Islands · Somalia · South Africa · Prince Edward Islands · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands · Spain · Canary Islands · Sri Lanka · Suriname · Sweden · Taiwan · China · Tanzania · East Timor · Togo · Tokelau · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Turks and Caicos Islands · Tuvalu · United Arab Emirates · United Kingdom · United States · Uruguay · Vanuatu · Venezuela · Vietnam · United States Virgin Islands · British Virgin Islands · Wallis and Futuna · Yemen

Subregion distribution

USA(CA,OR,WA,AK,HI,ME,NH,MA,CT,RI,NY?,NJ?,DE?,MD?,VA?,NC?,FL?,TX?)

Taxonomy notes

genetic data places the species paraphyletically within Balaenoptera, indicating that Megaptera 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/1006405

Country distribution map

The map below provides a general overview. Most species inhabit only specific regions within countries. 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.

Megaptera novae-zelandiae

J. E. Gray, 1864

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

novaezelandiae

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

BMNH:Mamm:1468a

Type kind

holotype

Authority page

207

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28500508

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London

Balaena Novae Angliae

(Borowski, 1781)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

novaeangliae

Validity status

species

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

lost (number not known)

Type kind

nonexistent

Authority page

21

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28342454

Authority publication

Berlin

Megaptera Americana

J. E. Gray, 1847

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

americana

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

lost (number not known)

Type kind

nonexistent

Authority page

17

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6957448

Authority publication

London

Megaptera Poeskop

J. E. Gray, 1847

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

poeskop

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

MNHN (number not known)

Type kind

holotype

Authority page

17

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6957448

Authority publication

London

Megaptera bellicosa

Cope, 1871

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

bellicosa

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

USNM:MAMM:301636

Type kind

holotype

Type specimen URI

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/31f9e2067-f7dd-471c-93b2-9fcb55e32b1f

Authority page

103

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34968501

Authority publication

Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society

Name usages

True (1885:591, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7306385) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/35039)

Balaena longimana

(Rudolphi, 1832)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

longimana

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

ZMB (number not known)

Type kind

holotype

Authority page

133

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/29685301

Authority publication

Abhandlungen der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin

Name usages

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

Megaptera longimana var. moorei

J. E. Gray, 1864

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

moorei

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type kind

holotype

Authority page

210

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28500511

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London

Megaptera osphyia

Cope, 1865

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

osphyia

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type kind

holotype

Authority page

180

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/1682277

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

Megaptera novæ-zealandiæ

J. E. Gray, 1873

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

novaezealandiae

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

incorrectsubsequentspelling

Authority page

144

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28504345

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London

Name usages

Gray (1873:144, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28504345) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67205)

Megaptera novaeangliae

Corbet & J. Edwards Hill, 1980

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

novaeangliae

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. Honacki, Kinman & Koeppl (1982:303) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/63071)
  3. Mead & Brownell (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/9684)
  4. O'Brien, Menninger & Nash (2006:563) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/7321)
  5. Mittermeier & Wilson (2014:297) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67175)
  6. Mammal Diversity Database (2018:ID #13006) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67336)
  7. Mammal Diversity Database (2019:ID #13006) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67337)
  8. Mammal Diversity Database (2024, https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1006405) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67250)
  9. Schmidly, Bradley, Yancey & Bradley (2024:58) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67259)
  10. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (2024, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/13006/50362794) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67246)

osphya

Mead & Brownell, 2005

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

osphya

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

incorrectsubsequentspelling

Authority page

725

Authority publication

Baltimore

Name usages

Mead & Brownell (2005:725) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/9684)

Balaena boops

(O. Fabricius, 1780)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

boops

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

preoccupied

Authority page

36

Authority publication

Copenhagen

Balaena Nodosa

(J. P. Bonnaterre, 1789)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

nodosa

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

5

Authority publication

Paris

Name usages

  1. Fischer (1814:xxii, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/29130083) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/12226)
  2. Lesson (1827:425, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/54207892) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36839)
  3. Mead & Brownell (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/9684)

Balaena nodose

(Tiedemann, 1808)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

nodose

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

incorrectsubsequentspelling

Authority page

371

Authority publication

Landshut

Baleinoptère Poeskop

(Desmoulins, 1822)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

poeskop

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

notintendedasascientific_name

Authority page

164

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/25672128

Authority publication

Dictionnaire Classique d'Histoire Naturelle

Balaenoptera australis

(Lesson, 1828)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

australis

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

372

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/61811816

Authority publication

Paris

Balaena Lalandii

(J. B. Fischer, 1829)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

lalandii

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

525

Authority publication

Stuttgart

Name usages

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

Balaenoptera Capensis

(A. Smith, 1834)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

capensis

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

242

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15968360

Authority publication

South African Quarterly Journal

Rorqualus antarcticus

(F. Cuvier, 1836)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

antarctica

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

347; Plate 20, Figs. 2–4

Authority publication

Paris

Balaena sulcata antarctica

(Schlegel, 1841)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

antarctica

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

misidentification

Authority page

43

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16012315

Authority publication

Leiden

Balœnoptera leucopteron

(Lesson, 1842)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

leucopteron

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

nomen_nudum

Authority page

202

Authority publication

Paris

Name usages

Lesson (1842:202) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36812)

Balaena gibbosa

(J. E. Gray, 1843)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

gibbosa

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

preoccupied

Authority page

183; Plate 1

Authority publication

Annals and Magazine of Natural History

Balaenoptera antarctica

(Temminck, 1844)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

antarctica

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

misidentification

Authority page

21

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53607702

Authority publication

Leiden

Megaptera longipinna

J. E. Gray, 1846

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

longipinna

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

incorrectsubsequentspelling

Authority page

83

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2633626

Authority publication

Annals and Magazine of Natural History

Name usages

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

Balaena Allamack

(J. E. Gray, 1847)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

allamack

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

notusedas_valid

Authority page

17

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6957448

Authority publication

London

Megaptera antarctica

J. E. Gray, 1847

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

antarctica

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

17

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6957448

Authority publication

London

Megaptera longimana

J. E. Gray, 1847

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

longimana

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

misidentification

Authority page

17

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6957448

Authority publication

London

Name usages

True (1885:591, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7306385) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/35039)

Megaptera kuzira

J. E. Gray, 1850

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

kuzira

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

30

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12931677

Authority publication

British Museum Catalogue

Balaenoptera Astrolabae

(Jacquinot & Pucheran, 1853)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

astrolabae

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

42

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/43560918

Authority publication

Paris

Balaenoptera syncondylus

(A. Müller, 1863)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

syncondyla

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

38, 48; Plates 1–3

Authority publication

Schriften der physikalisch-ökonomischen Gesellschaft zu Königsberg in Preussen

Megaptera gigas

Cope, 1865

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

gigas

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

179

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/1682276

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

Megaptera? Burmeisteri

J. E. Gray, 1866

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

burmeisteri

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

129

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9729874

Authority publication

British Museum Catalogue

Name usages

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

Megaptera braziliensis

Cope, 1867

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

braziliensis

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

32

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/26288748

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

Name usages

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

Kyphobalaena Keporkak

(P. J. Van Beneden, 1868)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

keporkak

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

nomen_nudum

Authority page

109, 113

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28377583 https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28377587

Authority publication

Bulletin de l'Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique

Megaptera versabilis

Cope, 1869

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

versabilis

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

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 (1885:591, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7306385) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/35039)
  2. Bailey (1936:342, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/25806275) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/35313)
  3. Mead & Brownell (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/9684)

Megaptera boops

P. J. Van Beneden & P. Gervais, 1872

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

boops

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

misidentification

Authority page

120

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34017674

Authority publication

Paris

Name usages

Lahille (1899:197, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35147063) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/37834)

Megaptera indica

H. F. P. Gervais, 1883

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

indica

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

1567

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/4798452

Authority publication

Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l'Académie des sciences

Name usages

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

Balaena atlanticus

(Hurdis, 1897)

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

atlanticus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

nomen_nudum

Authority page

330, 339

Authority publication

London

Megaptera brasiliensis

F. W. True, 1904

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

brasiliensis

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

incorrectsubsequentspelling

Authority page

102

Authority publication

book

Megaptera nodosa

Lahille, 1905

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

nodosa

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

misidentification

Authority page

72

Authority publication

Revista del Jardín Zoológico de Buenos Aires

Megaptera kusira

Trouessart, 1905

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

kusira

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

incorrectsubsequentspelling

Authority page

785

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53423666

Authority publication

Berlin

Megaptera nodosa novae-zealandiae

Ivashin, 1958

Family

Balaenopteridae

Root name

novaezealandiae

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination · incorrect_subsequent_spelling

Authority page

77

Authority publication

Informatsionnyi Byulleten' Sovetskoi Antarkticheskoi Ekspeditsii

Please send any edits, corrections, or unfilled data (including full citations) to mammaldiversity [at] gmail [dot] com.