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Balaenoptera

Article Discussion

Template:Short description Template:Automatic taxobox

Balaenoptera (Template:Etymology) is a genus of rorquals containing eight extant species.<ref name=MarineList>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Balaenoptera comprises all but two of the extant species in its family (the humpback whale and gray whale); the genus is currently polyphyletic, with the two aforementioned species being phylogenetically nested within it.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

This genus is known in the fossil records from the Neogene to the Quaternary (13.65 million years ago to the present).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:Balaenopteridae - Balaenoptera acutorostrata cuvieri.JPG
Fossil of Balaenoptera acutorostrata cuvieri from the Pliocene of Italy

Taxonomy and systematicsEdit

The genus Balaenoptera contains the following extant species and subspecies:<ref name=MarineList/><ref name=WoRMS>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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Fossil speciesEdit

Many fossil Balaenoptera species have been described. Some (namely B. borealina, B. definata, B. emarginata, B. gibbosa, B. rostratella, and B. sibbaldina) are either nondiagnostic, highly fragmentary, or had no holotype specimen named, hence are considered nomina dubia.<ref name="Demereetal2005">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Bisconti2007">M. Bisconti. 2007. A new basal balaenopterid whale from the Pliocene of northern Italy. Palaeontology 50(5):1103-1122</ref> The valid fossil species of Balaenoptera are:

  • †Balaenoptera bertae is a relatively small species from the Upper Miocene to Upper Pliocene Purisima Formation of California.<ref name="Boessenecker2012">Boessenecker, Robert W. "A new marine vertebrate assemblage from the Late Neogene Purisima Formation in Central California, part II: Pinnipeds and Cetaceans." Geodiversitas 35.4 (2012): 815-940.</ref>
  • †Balaenoptera cephalus was originally thought to be a species of Eschrichtius (gray whales) or Cetotherium, but more recent analysis shows it to be a member of Balaenoptera.<ref name=cephalus>R. E. Weems and L. E. Edwards. 2007. The age and provenance of "Eschrichtius" cephalus Cope (Mammalia: Cetacea). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27(3):752-756</ref> Fossils of the species were found in the Calvert Formation of Maryland.<ref name=FWBalCephalus>Balaenoptera cephalus at Fossilworks.org</ref>
  • †Balaenoptera colcloughi is known from four specimens, including four skulls and some postcranial remains, found at the San Diego Formation. It was a close relative of Megaptera novaeangliae (the humpback whale), B. siberi, and B. physalus (the fin whale).<ref name="MartinThesis" >Martin. (2014). From Finbacks to Humpbacks: Investigation of the Evolutionary History of Balaenopteridae Template:Webarchive.</ref>
  • †"Balaenoptera" cortesii is a small species based on a juvenile specimen from Montezago; it probably represents a distinct, unnamed genus of balaenopterid.<ref name="Demereetal2005"/>
  • †Balaenoptera davidsonii, like B. cephalus, was originally classified under Eschrichtius, but it has since been moved to Balaenoptera. It was native to the Pliocene San Diego Formation of California.<ref name=FWBdavid>Balaenoptera davidsonii at Fossilworks.org</ref> The only known fossil of B. davidsonii is a fragment of the left dentary.<ref name=demere1986>T. Demere. 1986. The fossil whale, Balaenoptera davidsonii (Cope 1872), with a review of other Neogene species of Balaenoptera (Cetacea: Mysticeti). Marine Mammal Science 2(4):277-298</ref>
  • †"Balaenoptera" portisi is based on MGPT 13803 from Montafia (originally assigned to B. cortesii by Portis [1885]), and may be the same genus or species as Cetotheriophanes capellinii. The species "B. floridana" is indistinguishable from "B." portisi.<ref name="Demereetal2005"/>
  • †"Balaenoptera" ryani is a valid species but is not in fact a species of Balaenoptera. It probably represents a distinct genus of basal balaenopterid.<ref name="Demereetal2005"/>
  • †Balaenoptera siberi is known from two complete skeletons. Its affinity with the genus Balaenoptera has been questioned.<ref name="Demereetal2005"/><ref name="duinatans">M. Bosselaers and K. Post. 2010. A new fossil rorqual (Mammalia, Cetacea, Balaenopteridae) from the Early Pliocene of the North Sea, with a review of the rorqual species described by Owen and Van Beneden. Geodiversitas 32(2):331-363</ref>
  • †Balaenoptera sursiplana is a fragmentary species, based on a single fossilized tympanic bone.<ref name=Cope1895>E. D. Cope. 1895. Fourth contribution to the marine fauna of the Miocene period of the United States. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 34:135-155</ref>
  • †Balaenoptera taiwanica is named after Taiwan, where the fossil was found in the Pliocene-aged Cholan Formation.<ref name="FWBtaiwan">Balaenoptera taiwanica at Fossilworks.org</ref> B. taiwanica is also based on a single tympanic bone, which is similar to that of B. physalus, the fin whale.<ref name=Huang1966>T. Huang. 1966. A new species of a whale tympanic bone from Taiwan, China. Transactions and Proceedings of the Paleontological Society of Japan 61:183-187</ref>

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

Template:Cetacea Template:Mysticeti Genera Template:Taxonbar Template:Authority control

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