Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776) 
AphiaID: 137115

Classification: Biota > Animalia > Chordata > Vertebrata > Gnathostomata > Tetrapoda > Mammalia > Theria > Cetartiodactyla > Cetancodonta > Cetacea > Odontoceti > Monodontidae > Delphinapterus

Status		accepted
Record status		Checked by Taxonomic Editor
Rank		Species
Parent		Delphinapterus Lacépède, 1804
Synonymised taxa		Balaena albicans Muller, 1776 (synonym) Beluga angustata Cope, 1866 (synonym) Beluga borealis Lesson, 1828 (synonym) Beluga canadensis J. A. Allen, 1869 (synonym) Beluga catodon Gray, 1846 (synonym) Beluga concreta Cope, 1865 (synonym) Beluga declivis Cope, 1865 (synonym) Beluga glacialis Lesson, 1828 (synonym) Beluga kingii Gray, 1846 (synonym) Beluga rhinodon Cope, 1865 (synonym) Catodon albicans Lacépède, 1804 (synonym) Catodon candicans Lesson, 1828 (synonym) Catodon sibbaldi Fleming, 1828 (synonym) Cephalorhynchus hectori albus Kerr, 1792 (synonym) Delphinapterus beluga Lacepede, 1804 (synonym) Delphinapterus catodon Goode, 1884 (synonym) Delphinapterus dorofeevi Klumov & Barabash, 1935 (synonym) Delphinapterus freimani Klumov, 1935 (synonym) Delphinapterus kingi Ogilby, 1893 (synonym) Delphinus (Delphinapterus) kingii Gray, 1827 (synonym) Delphinus albians Nilsson, 1820 (synonym) Delphinus albicans Fabricius, 1780 (synonym) Delphinus canadensis Desmarest, 1822 (synonym) Delphinus leucas Pallas, 1776 (basionym) Delphinus leucaster Gray, 1821 (synonym) Delphinus phocaena albus Kerr, 1792 (synonym) Inia canadensis Gray, 1846 (synonym) Physeter macrocephalus albicans Kerr, 1792 (synonym)
Sources		original description: Pallas, P. S. 1771-76. Reise durch verschiedene Provinzen des russischen Reiches. St. Petersburg. 3 vols. [vol. 1, 1771:12 unnumb. + 1-504, pls. A-L; vol. 2, 1773 (pt 1):4 unnumb. + 1-368, (pt 2):368-744, pls. A-Z; vol. 3, 1776 (pt 1) 20 unnumb. + 1-454, (pt 2) 455-760 index, + Pls. A-Z, AA-NN]. page(s): 3(1):85 [details] 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: Carwardine, M., E. Hoyt, R. E. Fordyce and P. Gill. 1998. Whales, dolphins and porpoises. Time-Life Books. Nature Company Guides, USA. 288 p. [details] additional source: University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Animal Diversity Web., available online at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html [details] additional source: Mead, J. G. and R. L. Brownell, Jr. (2005). Cetacea. Pages 723--743 in Wilson, D.E. & D.M. Reeder (eds). Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp., available online at http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/ [details] additional source: Rice, D. W. 1998. Marine mammals of the world. Systematics and distribution. Society for Marine Mammalogy Special Publication 4. [details] additional source: Hershkovitz, P. (1966). Catalog of living whales. U.S. National Museum Bulletin 246:1--259. [details] additional source: Jefferson, T. A., M. A. Webber and R. L. Pitman. (2008). Marine mammals of the world. Academic Press, Amsterdam. [details] additional source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, available online at http://www.iucnredlist.org [details] additional source: Perrin, W. F., B. Würsig and J. G. M. Thewissen. (2009). Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Academic Press, Amsterdam. [details] additional source: Leatherwood, S., R. R. Reeves, W. F. Perrin and W. E. Evans. (1982). Whales, dolphins, and porpoises of the eastern North Pacific and adjacent Arctic waters. A guide to their identification. NOAA Technical Report NMFS Circular 444. 245pp. [details] additional source: Stewart, B. E. and R. E. A. Stewart. (1989). Delphinapterus leucas. Mammalian Species 336:1--8. [details] additional source: ITIS database, available online at http://www.itis.gov [details]
Vernacular Names		Language    Name   Aleut bechurinka  [details] Anus pechuga  [details] Chukot puuliak  [details] Czech běluha mořská  [details] Danish hvidfisk  [details] Danish hvidhval  [details] Dutch beloega  [details] Dutch witte dolfijn  [details] Dutch witvis  [details] English beluga  [details] English buluga  [details] English sea canary  [details] English whale porpoise  [details] English white fish  [details] English white whale  [details] Even zatcha  [details] French baleine blanche  [details] French bélouga  [details] French dauphin blanc  [details] French delphinaptère blanc  [details] French marsouin blanc  [details] French moine de mer  [details] German Weissfisch  [details] German Weisswal  [details] Icelandic huitingar  [details] Icelandic mjaldur  [details] Inuktitut qilalgaq  [details] Inupiaq sisuaq (Northern Alaska)  [details] Inupiaq situaq (Bering Strait)  [details] Italian balena bianca  [details] Italian beluga  [details] Japanese shiro iruka  [details] Kalaallisut kulelulak  [details] Kalaallisut qaqortoq  [details] Khanty visingkh-potlaengkh  [details] Khanty vising-totleng  [details] Korean hin-gorae  [details] Koryak gik  [details] Koryak iina  [details] Lithuanian baltasis delfinas  [details] Modern Greek (1453-) Μπελούγκα  [details] Nenets fiborska  [details] Norwegian hvidfisk  [details] Norwegian hvitfisk  [details] Norwegian hvithval  [details] Norwegian Bokmål hvithval  [details] Norwegian Nynorsk kvitkval  [details] Polish białucha  [details] Russian belukha  [details] Russian morkskaia belukha  [details] Russian белуха  [details] Slovenian beluga  [details] Spanish ballena blanca  [details] Spanish beluga  [details] Swedish hrafu-reydur  [details] Swedish hvitagtik delphin  [details] Swedish hvitfisk  [details] Swedish vitval  [details] Turkish ak balina  [details] Turkish beluga  [details] Turkish beluga balinası  [details] Turkish beyaz balina  [details] Ukrainian білуга  [details] Ukrainian Білуха  [details] Welsh morfil gwyn  [details] Yupik languages cetuaq  [details] Yupik languages keelaluga  [details] Yupik languages pulzaq  [details]
Direct child taxa [show all]		Subspecies Delphinapterus leucas freimani Tomilin, 1962 (nomen dubium) Subspecies Delphinapterus leucas leucas (Pallas, 1776) (nomen dubium) Subspecies Delphinapterus leucas marisalbi Ostroumov, 1935 (nomen dubium)
Environment		marine, brackish, fresh
Distribution		Arctic Ocean [details] Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone [details] European waters (ERMS scope) [details] Gulf of Maine [details] Gulf of St. Lawrence [details] North West Atlantic [details] Polish Exclusive Economic Zone [details] St. Lawrence Estuary [details] United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
Links		To Barcode of Life (7 barcodes) To Biodiversity Heritage Library (322 publications) To Encyclopedia of Life To GenBank (385 nucleotides; 242 proteins) To IUCN Red List To Marine Species Identification Portal To PESI To ITIS
Notes		Diet: large variety of fish, various crustaceans and other bottom living invertebrates [details] Dimensions: Length: male 12-18' (3.7-5.5 m), female 10-13 1/2' (3-4.1 m), at birth 5'+ (1.5 m +); Weight: 500-1500 kg [details] Distribution: Subarctic area [details] Distribution: East Pacific; Eastern Atlantic Ocean, Europe and Northern Asia (excluding China); Indo-West Pacific; Western Atlantic Ocean [details] Habitat: mostly coastal, also in estuaries and rivers [details] Habitat: inshore including estuaries and rivers in summer, sometimes offshore [details] Holotype: None preserved. Name based on freshly harpooned animals. [details] Importance: Belugas have been hunted for centuries for a variety of products. Beluga meat has been used to feed humans and domestic animals, the blubber used in making soap, lubricants, and margarine, and the fat of the head as a high quality lubricant. The skin has been tanned to make boots and laces. Current use is for aboriginal subsistence. [details] IUCN Red List Category: subpopulation Cook Inlet beluga whale : Critically Endangered (CR) [details] IUCN Red List Category: Near Threatened (NT) [details] Morphology: Distinguishing characteristics: Belugas are white-colored whales with a fusiform body shape and a large melon on the head. This melon is thought by some to focus echolocation tones, although this is in question. The melon can also be used as an indicator of health (poorly nourished belugas have low flat melons while well fed individuals have round melons) and of emotional state--agressive individuals raise their melons forward. There are no dorsal fins. Thirty-eight teeth are present. Males are larger than females. [details] Predators: None [details] Reproduction: Calving occurs between April and September. Gestation is one year. Weaned in 1.5-2years. [details] Type locality: Mouth of Ob River, northeastern Siberia, Russian Federation [details]
Images		Van Beneden & Gervais (1880, pl. 44) added on 2008-06-04 - author: Delahaye in Van Beneden & Gervais (1880) scan provided by VLIZ - Wetenschatten qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2009-04-17 23:17:11 Van Beneden & Gervais (1880, pl. 63) added on 2008-06-04 - author: Delahaye in Van Beneden & Gervais (1880) scan provided by VLIZ - Wetenschatten qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2009-04-17 23:17:21 Delphinapterus leucas added on 2009-02-13 - author: Collection Georges Declercq qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2009-04-17 23:17:31 Delphinapterus leucas added on 2009-08-03 - author: Jost, Klaus qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2013-05-17 18:10:22 Delphinapterus leucas added on 2009-08-03 - author: Jost, Klaus qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2013-05-17 18:10:35 Delphinapterus leucas added on 2009-11-23 - author: Collection Nathalie Dehauwere qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2013-05-17 18:10:46 Beluga whale stranding added on 2011-02-11 - author: Nozères, Claude qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2013-05-17 18:10:59 Beluga whales swimming added on 2011-02-11 - author: Nozères, Claude qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2013-05-17 18:11:10 Delphinapterus leucas added on 2011-10-30 - author: Collection VLIZ qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2013-05-17 18:11:26
LSID		urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:137115
Taxonomic Edit history		Date    action    by 2004-12-21 15:54:05Z   created   van der Land, Jacob 2008-08-20 11:25:36Z   checked   Perrin, William 2009-03-11 12:36:54Z   changed   Perrin, William
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		Citation: Perrin, W. (2013). Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776). 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=137115 on 2013-05-20