Cetacea taxon details
Balaenopteridae Gray, 1864
AphiaID: 136979
AphiaID: 136979
| Classification: Biota > Animalia > Chordata > Vertebrata > Gnathostomata > Tetrapoda > Mammalia > Theria > Cetartiodactyla > Cetancodonta > Cetacea > Mysticeti |
| Status | accepted | |||||||||||||||||||
| Record status | Checked by Taxonomic Editor | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Family | |||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Mysticeti | |||||||||||||||||||
| Synonymised taxa |
Physalinidae Gray, 1868 (synonym) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sources |
basis of record: van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details] additional source: Jefferson, T.A.; Leatherwood, S.; Webber, M.A. (1993). Marine mammals of the world. FAO Species identification guide. FAO: Rome, Italy. ISBN 92-5-103292-0. VIII, 320 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Vernacular Names |
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| Direct child taxa [show all] | Genus Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Subfamily Balaenopterinae Gray, 1864 Genus Megaptera Gray, 1846 Subfamily Megapterinae Gray, 1864 Genus Agaphelus Cope, 1868 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Balaenopteris Tomilin, 1957 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Balenoptera Dumeril, 1806 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Balenopterus Cuvier, 1829 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Belaenoptera Lahille, 1899 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Benedenia Gray, 1864 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Boops Gray, 1821 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Catoptera Rafinesque, 1815 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Cetoptera Rafinesque, 1815 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Cuvierus Gray, 1866 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Cyphobalaena Marschall, 1873 accepted as Megaptera Gray, 1846 Genus Dactylaena Gray, 1874 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Dubertus Tomilin, 1957 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Eubalaenoptera Aclogue, 1900 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Fabricia Gray, 1866 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Flowerius Lilljeborg, 1867 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Kyphobalaena Eschricht, 1849 accepted as Megaptera Gray, 1846 Subfamily Megapterina Gray, 1864 accepted as Megapterinae Gray, 1864 Genus Mysticetus Wagler, 1830 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Ogmobalaena Eschricht, 1849 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Perqualus Gray, 1846 accepted as Megaptera Gray, 1846 Genus Phylasus Dumeril, 1806 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Physalis Fleming, 1822 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Physalus Gray, 1821 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Poescopia Grau, 1864 accepted as Megaptera Gray, 1846 Genus Pterobalaena Eschricht, 1849 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Ptychocetus Gloger, 1842 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Rorqualus F. Cuvier, 1836 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Rudolphius Gray, 1866 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Sibbaldius Flower, 1865 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Sibbaldus Gray, 1864 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Stenobalaena Gray, 1874 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 Genus Swinhoia Gray, 1866 accepted as Balaenoptera Lacépède, 1804 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Environment | marine | |||||||||||||||||||
| Links | To GenBank To ITIS | |||||||||||||||||||
| Note |
Description: This family contains the larges animals ever to live; all balaenopteroids have adult body lengths of over 7 m, but some are much larger. The rorquals are streamlined animals (the humpback whale somewhat less than the others), with a series of long pleats extending from the snout tip to as far back as the navel on the ventral surface. Balaenopterids are fast and active lunge feeders; their morphology allows them to open their jaws very widely and distend their throats to take in huge mouthfuls of water during feeding. The baleen plates are of moderate length and fringe fineness. Density and fringe diameter vary among species, and along with plate number and width to length ratio, are diagnostic characters. Rorquals have dorsal fins (varying in size and shape) set beyond the midpoint of the back. The upper jaw has a relatively flat profile, a feature reflecting the structure of the skull. Within a given feature, differences among balaenopterids are often subtle variations on a theme, rather than class distinctions. Therefore, information on many features may be needed to distringuiish among them and reliance on a single character for identification is discouraged. <123> [details] | |||||||||||||||||||
| LSID | urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:136979 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Taxonomic Edit history |
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| Citation: Perrin, W. (2013). Balaenopteridae Gray, 1864. In: Perrin, W.F. (2013) World Cetacea Database. Accessed through: Perrin, W.F. (2013) World Cetacea Database at http://www.marinespecies.org/cetacea/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=136979 on 2013-05-20 | ||||||||||||||||||||