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Balaena (bowhead whale)

Taxonomy

Balaena was named by Linnaeus (1758) [Sepkoski's age data: T Plio R Sepkoski's reference number: 746]. It is extant. It was considered monophyletic by Ekdale et al. (2011).

It was assigned to Cete by Linnaeus (1758); to Cete by Illiger (1811); to Balaenina by Gray (1825); to Balaeninae by Flower (1867), Lydekker (1887), Trouessart (1898), Trouessart (1904), Hay (1930) and Fraser and Purves (1960); to Cetacea by Brisson (1762) and Sepkoski (2002); and to Balaenidae by Gray (1821), De Kay (1842), Gray (1846), Gray (1846), Gray (1850), Pictet (1853), Gray (1863), Gray (1864), Flower (1865), Gray (1866), Gray (1868), Cope (1868), Scammon and Cope (1869), Gill (1871), Brandt (1872), Brandt (1873), Brandt (1874), Ameghino (1889), Cope (1890), Newton (1891), Ameghino (1894), Cope (1895), Hay (1902), Palmer (1904), Case (1904), Turner (1912), Abel (1919), Miller (1923), Zittel (1925), Weber (1928), Simpson (1945), Ellerman and Morrisson-Scott (1951), Scheffer and Rice (1963), Carroll (1988), Rice (1998), Geisler and Sanders (2003), Bisconti (2003), Mead and Brownell (2005), Bouetel and Muizon (2006), Steeman (2007), Agnarsson and May-Collado (2008), Whitmore and Kaltenbach (2008), Uhen et al. (2008), Churchill et al. (2011) and Ekdale et al. (2011).

Species

B. affinis, B. arcuata, B. cullamach, B. dubusi, B. forsythmajori, B. larteti, B. macrocephalus, B. montolionis, B. mysticetus (syn. B. prisca), B. pampaea, B. ricei, B. simpsoni, B. vulgaris

Sister genera

Balaenella, Balaenotus (syn. Balaenotus lawley, Balaenotus meneghinii), Balaenula, Eubalaena (syn. Hunterius, Macleayius, Halibalaena), Idiocetus (syn. Idiocetus tsugarensis), Morenocetus

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Synonyms

Balaena gibbosa was named by Owen (1843). It is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Felixstow, which is in a Gelasian coastal horizon in the Red Crag Formation of the United Kingdom.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera rostratella by Lydekker (1887); it was considered a nomen dubium by Demere et al. (2005) and Bosselaers and Post (2010).
Balaena emarginata was named by Owen (1843). It is a 3D body fossil.

It was recombined as Balaenodon emarginatus by Brandt (1874); it was recombined as Balaenoptera emarginata by Lydekker (1887), Newton (1891), Trouessart (1898) and Trouessart (1904); it was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera rostratella by Lydekker (1887); it was considered a nomen dubium by McLeod et al. (1993), Demere et al. (2005) and Bosselaers and Post (2010).
Balaena tannenbergii was named by Rathke (1837). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaena mysticetus by Brandt (1874); it was considered a nomen dubium by McLeod et al. (1993).
Balaena balsami was named by Cornalia (1870). It is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Castel Arquato, Monte Zago, which is in a Piacenzian marine horizon in Italy.

It was considered a nomen nudum by McLeod et al. (1993).
Balaena definata was named by Owen (1843). It is not a trace fossil.

It was recombined as Balaenoptera definata by Lydekker (1887) and Trouessart (1904); it was recombined as Balaenoptera definita by Lydekker (1887), Newton (1891) and Trouessart (1898); it was considered a nomen dubium by McLeod et al. (1993), Demere et al. (2005), Bosselaers and Post (2010) and Uhen (2015).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1758	Balaena Linnaeus p. 75
1762	Balaena Brisson p. 218
1811	Balaena Illiger p. 141
1821	Balaena Gray p. 310
1825	Balaena Gray p. 340
1837	Balaena tannenbergii Rathke
1842	Balaena De Kay p. 124
1843	Balaena gibbosa Owen p. 283
1843	Balaena definata Owen p. 285
1843	Balaena emarginata Owen p. 286
1844	Balaena definata Owen
1846	Balaena Gray p. 15
1850	Balaena Gray p. 9
1853	Balaena Pictet p. 387
1863	Balaena Gray p. 198
1864	Balaena Gray p. 199
1865	Balaena Flower p. 390
1866	Balaena Gray p. 79
1867	Balaena Flower p. 115
1868	Balaena Cope p. 193
1868	Balaena Gray p. 1
1869	Balaena Scammon and Cope p. 15
1870	Balaena balsami Cornalia
1871	Balaena Gill p. 126
1872	Balaena Brandt p. 119
1873	Balaena Brandt p. 20
1874	Balaena Brandt p. I
1874	Balaenodon emarginatus Brandt p. 11
1875	Balaena balsami Van Beneden p. 757
1887	Balaenoptera definita Lydekker p. 11 figs. Plate 2, Fig. 3a
1887	Balaena Lydekker p. 16
1887	Balaenoptera definata Lydekker p. 34
1887	Balaenoptera emarginata Lydekker p. 40
1889	Balaena Ameghino p. 888
1890	Balaena Cope p. 612
1891	Balaena Newton p. 57
1891	Balaenoptera definita Newton p. 61
1891	Balaenoptera emarginata Newton p. 62
1894	Balaena Ameghino p. 436
1895	Balaena Cope p. 152
1898	Balaenoptera emarginata Trouessart p. 1077
1898	Balaenoptera definita Trouessart p. 1082
1898	Balaena Trouessart p. 1089
1898	Balaena balsami Trouessart p. 1089
1902	Balaena Hay p. 601
1904	Balaena Case p. 55
1904	Balaena Palmer p. 131
1904	Balaenoptera emarginata Trouessart p. 782
1904	Balaenoptera definata Trouessart p. 784
1904	Balaena Trouessart p. 786
1904	Balaena balsami Trouessart p. 787
1912	Balaena Turner p. 21
1919	Balaena Abel p. 753
1923	Balaena Miller p. 40
1925	Balaena Zittel p. 88
1928	Balaena Weber p. 389
1930	Balaena Hay p. 577
1945	Balaena Simpson p. 105
1951	Balaena Ellerman and Morrisson-Scott p. 718
1960	Balaena Fraser and Purves p. 112 figs. Figure 26
1963	Balaena Scheffer and Rice p. 9
1988	Balaena Carroll
1998	Balaena Rice p. 61
2002	Balaena Sepkoski, Jr.
2003	Balaena Bisconti p. 15
2003	Balaena Geisler and Sanders p. 27
2005	Balaena Mead and Brownell p. 723
2006	Balaena Bouetel and Muizon p. 386
2007	Balaena Steeman p. 880
2008	Balaena Agnarsson and May-Collado p. 981 figs. Fig. 5
2008	Balaena Uhen et al. p. 618
2008	Balaena Whitmore and Kaltenbach p. 256
2011	Balaena Churchill et al. p. 19
2011	Balaena Ekdale et al. p. 39

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