PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Balaenoptera (rorqual)

Mammalia - Cetacea - Balaenopteridae

Taxonomy

Balaenoptera was named by Lacépède (1804) [Sepkoski's age data: T Mi-u R]. It is extant.

It was reranked as Balaena (Balaenoptera) by Reichenbach (1846).

It was assigned to Balaenina by Gray (1825); to Balaena by Reichenbach (1846); to Balaenidae by Gray (1846), Gray (1850), Gray (1863), Cope (1867), Cope (1868), Scammon and Cope (1869), Ameghino (1889), Cope (1890), Newton (1891), Cope (1895), Hay (1902), Palmer (1904), Case (1904); to Mysticeti by Depéret (1887), True (1912); to Balaenopterini by Winge (1921); to Cetacea by Sepkoski (2002); to Balaenopterinae by Flower (1865), Flower (1867), Gill (1871), Brandt (1873), Brandt (1874), Lydekker (1887), Trouessart (1898), Trouessart (1904), Miller (1923), Hay (1930), Fraser and Purves (1960), Vidal (1991), McKenna and Bell (1997), Rice (1998), Bergqvist et al. (1999), Bouetel and Muizon (2006), Bisconti (2008); and to Balaenopteridae by Gray (1864), Gray (1866), Gray (1868), Gray (1871), Scott (1873), Flores (1895), Turner (1912), Zittel (1925), Kellogg (1928), Weber (1928), Dal Piaz (1929), Kellogg (1944), Simpson (1945), Ellerman and Morrisson-Scott (1951), Sherman (1952), Scheffer and Rice (1963), Gondar (1966), Barnes (1977), Deméré (1986), Pilleri (1987), Carroll (1988), Geisler and Sanders (2003), Mead and Brownell (2005), Deméré et al. (2005), Steeman (2007), Agnarsson and May-Collado (2008), Whitmore and Kaltenbach (2008), Uhen et al. (2008), Fordyce and Roberts (2009), Geisler et al. (2011), Ekdale et al. (2011), Gol'din and Steeman (2015), Marx and Fordyce (2015), Boessenecker and Fordyce (2015), Marx et al. (2016), Tanaka and Taruno (2017), Berta (2017), Rosel et al. (2021), Zazzera and Girone (2022), Govender and Marx (2023), Tanaka et al. (2023).

Species

B. acutorostrata (syn. Sibbaldius mondinii, Rorqualus minor, Balaena rostrata, Rorqualus boops, Pterobalaena minor), B. andrejewi, B. bonaerensis (syn. B. huttoni), B. borealis (syn. B. iwasi, Sibbaldius schlegelii, B. laticeps, B. schlegeli swinhoei), B. brydei, B. cephalus, B. davidsonii, B. edeni, B. fasciata, B. grimmi, B. musculus (syn. Sibbaldius sulfureus, B. australis, Stenobalaena xanthogaster, Sibbaldus borealis, Sibbaldius antarcticus, B. brevicauda, B. sulfureus, B. intermedia, B. jubartes, Physalus sibbaldii, B. indica, Cuvierius latirostris), B. omurai, B. physalus (syn. Physalus patachonicus, Sibbaldius tectirostris, B. rorqual, B. copei, Sibbaldius tuberosus, Balaena sulcata, B. antiquorum, B. gibbar, B. quoyi, B. patachonica, B. blythi, B. velifera, Physalus duguidii, Swinhoia chinensis, B. patachonicha tschudii, Balaena antiquorum, Physalus fasciatus, Physalus brasiliensis, B. boops, Benedenia knoxii), B. ricei, B. ryani, B. siberi, B. sursiplana

Synonyms

Cuvierius was named by Gray (1866). It is extant. Its type is Cuvierius latirostris.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Balaenopteridae by Gray (1866); to Physalinidae by Gray (1868); and to Physalidae by Gray (1871).
Sibbaldius (Rudolphius) was named by Gray (1866). It is extant.

It was reranked as Rudolphius by Gray (1868), Gray (1871), Palmer (1904); it was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Sibbaldius by Gray (1866); to Physalinidae by Gray (1868); to Physalidae by Gray (1871); and to Balaenidae by Palmer (1904).
Swinhoia was named by Gray (1868). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Balaenopteridae by Gray (1868), Gray (1871).
Balaenoptera andrejewi was named by Anonymous (1888). It is extant.

It was considered a nomen nudum by Hershkovitz (1966).
Balaenoptera grimmi was named by Anonymous (1888). It is extant.

It was considered a nomen nudum by Hershkovitz (1966).
Stenobalaena was named by Gray (1874). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Physalus by Hector (1875).
Balaenoptera ryani was named by Hanna and McLellan (1924). Its type specimen is CASG 1733, a partial skull, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Saucito Rancho, which is in a Tortonian basinal (siliciclastic) shale in the Monterey Formation of California.

It was considered an invalid subgroup of Cetotheriidae by Zeigler et al. (1997); it was considered an invalid subgroup of Balaenoptera by Marx and Fordyce (2015); it was considered an invalid subgroup of Balaenopteridae by Deméré (1986), Deméré et al. (2005), Tsai and Boessenecker (2017).
Sibbaldus was named by Flower (1865). It is extant.

It was corrected as Sibbaldius by Gray (1866), Gray (1868), Scammon and Cope (1869), Gray (1871), Scott (1873); it was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Physalinidae by Gray (1868); to Physalidae by Gray (1871); to Balaenidae by Cope (1868), Scammon and Cope (1869), Palmer (1904); to Balaenopterinae by Flower (1865), Flower (1867), Gill (1871), Miller (1923); and to Balaenopteridae by Gray (1864), Gray (1866), Scott (1873), Simpson (1945).
Pterobalaena was named by Eschricht (1849). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Brandt (1873), Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Balaenopterinae by Brandt (1874); to Balaenidae by Palmer (1904); and to Balaenopteridae by Hassanin et al. (2012).
Rorqualus was named by Cuvier (1836). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Gray (1846), Hershkovitz (1966); it was reranked as Physalus (Rorqualus) by Gray (1850).

It was assigned to Physalus by Gray (1850); to Balaenidae by De Kay (1842), Pictet (1853); and to Balaenopteridae by Hassanin et al. (2012).
Benedenia was named by Gray (1864). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Balaenopteridae by Gray (1864), Gray (1866); to Physalinidae by Gray (1868); to Physalidae by Gray (1871); and to Balaenidae by Palmer (1904).
Physalus was named by Gray (1821) [not Physalus Lacepede, 1804, a synonym of Physeter]. It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Physeter by Trouessart (1898); it was synonymized objectively with Balaenoptera by Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Physeterina by Gray (1825); to Balaenopteridae by Gray (1864), Gray (1866); to Physalinidae by Gray (1868); to Balaenopterinae by Flower (1865), Flower (1867), Gill (1871); to Physalidae by Gray (1871); and to Balaenidae by Gray (1821), Gray (1850), Palmer (1904).
Balaenoptera fasciata was named by Gray (1846). It is extant.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Lloyd and Slater (2020).
Mysticetus was named by Wagler (1830). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Gray (1846), Hershkovitz (1966).

It was assigned to Balaenidae by Palmer (1904).
Physalis was named by Fleming (1822). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Balaenoptera by Gray (1846), Hershkovitz (1966).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1804	Balaenoptera Lacépède
1821	Physalus Gray p. 310
1822	Physalis Fleming p. 206
1825	Balaenoptera Gray p. 340
1825	Physalus Gray p. 340
1830	Mysticetus Wagler p. 33
1836	Rorqualus Cuvier p. 303
1842	Rorqualus De Kay p. 129
1846	Balaenoptera Gray p. 18
1846	Balaenoptera fasciata Gray p. 20
1846	Balaena (Balaenoptera) Reichenbach p. 784
1849	Pterobalaena Eschricht
1850	Balaenoptera Gray p. 31
1850	Physalus Gray p. 34
1850	Physalus (Rorqualus) Gray p. 41
1853	Rorqualus Pictet p. 387
1863	Balaenoptera Gray p. 199
1864	Benedenia Gray p. 211
1864	Physalus Gray p. 215
1864	Sibbaldus Gray p. 222
1864	Balaenoptera Gray p. 226
1865	Physalus Flower p. 392
1865	Sibbaldius Flower p. 392
1865	Sibbaldus Flower p. 392 figs. Figures 16-18
1865	Balaenoptera Flower p. 393
1866	Benedenia Gray p. 135
1866	Physalus Gray p. 139
1866	Cuvierius Gray p. 164
1866	Sibbaldius Gray p. 169
1866	Sibbaldius (Rudolphius) Gray p. 170
1866	Balaenoptera Gray p. 186
1867	Balaenoptera Cope p. 144
1867	Balaenoptera Flower p. 115
1867	Physalus Flower p. 115
1867	Sibbaldus Flower p. 115
1868	Balaenoptera Cope p. 193
1868	Sibbaldus Cope p. 193
1868	Benedenia Gray p. 2
1868	Cuvierius Gray p. 2
1868	Physalus Gray p. 2
1868	Balaenoptera Gray p. 3
1868	Rudolphius Gray p. 3
1868	Sibbaldius Gray p. 3
1868	Swinhoia Gray p. 3
1869	Balaenoptera Scammon and Cope p. 15
1869	Sibbaldius Scammon and Cope p. 15
1871	Balaenoptera Gill p. 126
1871	Physalus Gill p. 126
1871	Sibbaldus Gill p. 126
1871	Benedenia Gray p. 52
1871	Physalus Gray p. 52
1871	Cuvierius Gray p. 54
1871	Rudolphius Gray p. 54
1871	Sibbaldius Gray p. 55
1871	Balaenoptera Gray p. 56
1871	Swinhoia Gray p. 57
1873	Balaenoptera Brandt p. 33
1873	Sibbaldius Scott p. 123
1873	Balaenoptera Scott p. 125
1874	Balaenoptera Brandt p. I
1874	Pterobalaena Brandt p. 42
1874	Stenobalaena Gray p. 305
1887	Balaenoptera Depéret p. 273
1887	Balaenoptera Lydekker p. 34
1888	Balaenoptera andrejewi Anonymous
1888	Balaenoptera grimmi Anonymous
1889	Balaenoptera Ameghino p. 889
1890	Balaenoptera Cope p. 612
1891	Balaenoptera Newton p. 61
1895	Balaenoptera Cope p. 151
1895	Balaenoptera Flores p. 14
1898	Balaenoptera Trouessart p. 1077
1902	Balaenoptera Hay p. 600
1904	Balaenoptera Case p. 54
1904	Balaenoptera Palmer p. 132
1904	Benedenia Palmer p. 136
1904	Mysticetus Palmer p. 444
1904	Physalus Palmer p. 536
1904	Pterobalaena Palmer p. 595
1904	Rudolphius Palmer p. 613
1904	Sibbaldus Palmer p. 630
1904	Balaenoptera Trouessart p. 782
1904	Balaenoptera andrejewi Trouessart p. 783
1904	Balaenoptera grimmi Trouessart p. 783
1912	Balaenoptera True p. 3
1912	Balaenoptera Turner p. 31
1921	Balaenoptera Winge p. 7
1923	Balaenoptera Miller p. 40
1923	Sibbaldus Miller p. 40
1924	Balaenoptera ryani Hanna and McLellan pp. 238-240 figs. 5-9
1925	Balaenoptera Zittel p. 88
1928	Balaenoptera Kellogg p. 35 figs. Table 1
1928	Balaenoptera Weber p. 389
1929	Balaenoptera Dal Piaz
1930	Balaenoptera Hay p. 574
1930	Balaenoptera ryani Hay p. 575
1938	Balaenoptera ryani Abel p. 9
1944	Balaenoptera Kellogg p. 459
1945	Balaenoptera Simpson p. 105
1945	Sibbaldus Simpson p. 105
1951	Balaenoptera Ellerman and Morrisson-Scott p. 714
1952	Balaenoptera Sherman p. 99
1960	Balaenoptera Fraser and Purves p. 112 figs. Figure 26
1963	Balaenoptera Scheffer and Rice p. 9
1966	Balaenoptera Gondar p. 144
1977	Balaenoptera Barnes p. 331
1986	Balaenoptera Deméré p. 280
1987	Balaenoptera Pilleri p. 77
1988	Balaenoptera Carroll
1991	Balaenoptera Vidal p. 6
1997	Balaenoptera McKenna and Bell p. 377
1998	Balaenoptera Rice p. 69
1999	Balaenoptera Bergqvist et al. p. 31
2002	Balaenoptera Sepkoski
2003	Balaenoptera Geisler and Sanders p. 27
2005	Balaenoptera Deméré et al. p. 105 figs. Table II
2005	Balaenoptera Mead and Brownell p. 724
2006	Balaenoptera Bouetel and Muizon p. 386
2007	Balaenoptera Steeman p. 880
2008	Balaenoptera Agnarsson and May-Collado p. 981 figs. Fig. 5
2008	Balaenoptera Bisconti p. 174
2008	Balaenoptera Uhen et al. p. 619
2008	Balaenoptera ryani Uhen et al. p. 619
2008	Balaenoptera Whitmore and Kaltenbach p. 243
2009	Balaenoptera Fordyce and Roberts p. 553
2011	Balaenoptera Ekdale et al. p. 39
2011	Balaenoptera Geisler et al. p. 6 figs. Table 1
2012	Pterobalaena Hassanin et al. p. 43 figs. Fig. 1
2012	Rorqualus Hassanin et al. p. 43 figs. Fig. 1
2015	Balaenoptera Boessenecker and Fordyce figs. Table 1
2015	Balaenoptera Gol'din and Steeman p. 13 figs. Figure 10
2015	Balaenoptera Marx and Fordyce p. 4 figs. Figure 2
2016	Balaenoptera Marx et al. p. 114
2017	Balaenoptera Berta p. 168
2017	Balaenoptera Tanaka and Taruno p. 4
2021	Balaenoptera Rosel et al. p. 24
2022	Balaenoptera Zazzera and Girone p. 52
2023	Balaenoptera Govender and Marx p. 5
2023	Balaenoptera Tanaka et al. p. 325

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
subclass	Synapsida
—	Therapsida	()
infraorder	Cynodontia	()
—	Mammaliamorpha
—	Mammaliaformes
class	Mammalia

Rank	Name	Author
—	Cladotheria
—	Zatheria
subclass	Tribosphenida	()
subclass	Theria
—	Eutheria	()
—	Placentalia
—	Boreoeutheria
—	Laurasiatheria
—	Scrotifera
—	Euungulata
—	Artiodactylamorpha
—	Artiodactyla	()
—	Whippomorpha
order	Cetacea
—	Pelagiceti
—	Neoceti
suborder	Mysticeti
—	Chaeomysticeti	()
—	Balaenomorpha
superfamily	Thalassotherii
family	Balaenopteridae
genus	Balaenoptera

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.

G. Balaenoptera Lacépède 1804 [rorqual]

show all | hide all

Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède 1804 [minke whale]

Invalid names: Balaena rostrata Fabricius 1780 [synonym], Pterobalaena minor Eschricht 1849 [synonym], Rorqualus boops Cuvier 1836 [synonym], Rorqualus minor Hamilton 1837 [synonym], Sibbaldius mondinii Capellini 1877 [synonym]

Balaenoptera bonaerensis Burmeister 1867

Invalid names: Balaenoptera huttoni Gray 1874 [synonym]

Balaenoptera borealis Lesson 1828 [sei whale]

Invalid names: Balaenoptera iwasi Gray 1846 [synonym], Balaenoptera laticeps Gray 1864 [synonym], Balaenoptera schlegeli swinhoei Gray 1866 [synonym], Sibbaldius schlegelii Gray 1864 [synonym]

Balaenoptera brydei Olsen 1913 [Bryde's whale]

†Balaenoptera cephalus Cope 1867

†Balaenoptera davidsonii Cope 1872

Balaenoptera edeni Anderson 1879 [Eden's whale]

Balaenoptera musculus Linnaeus 1758 [blue whale]

Invalid names: Balaenoptera australis Gray 1846 [synonym], Balaenoptera brevicauda Ichihara 1966 [synonym], Balaenoptera indica Blyth 1842 [synonym], Balaenoptera intermedia Burmeister 1871 [synonym], Balaenoptera jubartes Lacépède 1804 [synonym], Balaenoptera sulfureus Cope 1869 [synonym], Cuvierius latirostris Flower 1864 [synonym], Physalus sibbaldii Gray 1847 [synonym], Sibbaldius antarcticus Burmeister 1865 [synonym], Sibbaldius sulfureus Scammon and Cope 1869 [synonym], Sibbaldus borealis Gray 1864 [synonym]

Balaenoptera omurai Wada 2003

Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus 1758 [fin whale]

Invalid names: Balaena antiquorum Fischer 1829 [synonym], Balaena sulcata Neill 1811 [synonym], Balaena sulcata arctica Schlegel 1841 [invalid subgroup], Balaenoptera antiquorum Gray 1846 [synonym], Balaenoptera blythi Anderson 1879 [synonym], Balaenoptera boops Linnaeus 1758 [synonym], Balaenoptera copei Elliot 1901 [synonym], Balaenoptera gibbar Lacépède 1804 [synonym], Balaenoptera patachonica Burmeister 1865 [objective synonym], Balaenoptera patachonicha tschudii Reichenbach 1846 [synonym], Balaenoptera quoyi Fisher 1829 [synonym], Balaenoptera rorqual Lacépède 1804 [synonym], Balaenoptera velifera Scammon and Cope 1869 [synonym], Benedenia knoxii Gray 1864 [synonym], Physalus brasiliensis Gray 1846 [synonym], Physalus duguidii Gray 1864 [synonym], Physalus fasciatus Gray 1850 [synonym], Physalus patachonicus Burmeister 1865 [synonym], Sibbaldius tectirostris Scammon and Cope 1869 [synonym], Sibbaldius tuberosus Scammon and Cope 1869 [synonym], Swinhoia chinensis Gray 1868 [synonym]

Balaenoptera ricei Rosel et al. 2021 [Rice's whale]

†Balaenoptera siberi Pilleri 1989

†Balaenoptera sursiplana Cope 1895

Balaenoptera swinhoei alba Giglioli 1870

Invalid names: Balaenoptera andrejewi Anonymous 1888 [nomen nudum], Balaenoptera fasciata Gray 1846 [nomen dubium], Balaenoptera grimmi Anonymous 1888 [nomen nudum], Balaenoptera ryani Hanna and McLellan 1924 [invalid subgroup], Benedenia Gray 1864 [synonym], Cuvierius Gray 1866 [synonym], Mysticetus Wagler 1830 [synonym], Physalis Fleming 1822 [synonym], Physalus Gray 1821 [objective synonym], Pterobalaena Eschricht 1849 [synonym], Rorqualus Cuvier 1836 [synonym], Rudolphius Gray 1866 [synonym], Sibbaldus Flower 1865 [synonym], Swinhoia Gray 1868 [synonym]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

part	N	mean

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

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Badenian to the top of the Holocene or 13.82000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 12.8 Ma

Collections (151 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Oldest occurrences
Neogene	23.04 - 2.58	South Africa	Balaenoptera sp., Balaenoptera musculus (230122)
Neogene	23.04 - 2.58	South Pacific	Balaenoptera rostrata (99587) Balaenoptera sp. (99586 99611)
MN 5 - MN 6	15.98 - 12.75	Portugal	Balaenoptera sp. (65912)
Langhian - Serravallian	15.98 - 11.63	Slovenia	Balaenoptera sp. (55450)
Middle Miocene	15.98 - 11.63	Japan (Gunma)	Balaenoptera sp. (75733)
Middle Miocene	15.98 - 11.63	Japan (Fukushima)	Balaenoptera borealis (55660)
Middle Miocene - Late/Upper Pliocene	15.98 - 2.58	Chile	Balaenoptera sp. (100134)
Middle Miocene - Late/Upper Pliocene	15.98 - 2.58	Chile (Arauco)	Balaenoptera sp. (100133)
Middle Miocene - Pleistocene	15.98 - 0.0117	USA (Massachusetts)	Balaenoptera sursiplana (77694)
Badenian	13.82 - 12.8	Slovenia	Balaenoptera sp. (90200)
Serravallian	13.82 - 11.63	USA (Maryland)	Eschrichtius cephalus (55396)
Serravallian	13.82 - 11.63	Argentina (Entre Rios)	Balaenoptera sp. (55599)
Serravallian	13.82 - 11.63	Netherlands	Balaenoptera sp. (75152)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	USA (Virginia)	Balaenoptera sp. (152251)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Peru (Arequipa)	Balaenoptera siberi (45485)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Japan (Gunma)	Balaenoptera sp. (56950)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	USA (California)	Balaenoptera ryani (45501)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Chile (Atacama)	Balaenoptera sp. (80365)
Tortonian - Messinian	11.63 - 5.333	Peru	Balaenoptera siberi (46083)
Messinian	7.246 - 5.333	USA (Virginia)	Balaenoptera sp. (179732)