Cetacea taxon details

Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758) 
AphiaID: 137117

Classification: Biota > Animalia > Chordata > Vertebrata > Gnathostomata > Tetrapoda > Mammalia > Theria > Cetartiodactyla > Cetancodonta > Cetacea > Odontoceti > Phocoenidae > Phocoena
Status accepted
Record
status
 Checked by Taxonomic Editor
Rank Species
Parent Phocoena G. Cuvier, 1816
Synonymised
taxa
  Delphinus (Phocaena) phocaena Gray, 1828 (synonym)
Delphinus phocaena Muller, 1776 (synonym)
Delphinus phocoena Linnaeus, 1758 (basionym)
Delphinus ventricosus Lacépède, 1804 (synonym)
Phocaena americana J. A. Allen, 1869 (synonym)
Phocaena brachcium Hall & Kelson, 1959 (synonym)
Phocaena brachycium Cope, 1865 (synonym)
Phocaena communis Lesson, 1827 (synonym)
Phocaena lineata Cope, 1876 (synonym)
Phocaena phocaena Kleinenberg, 1956 (synonym)
Phocaena phocaena acuminata Van Deinse, 1935 (synonym)
Phocaena phocaena acuminata var. conidens Van Deinse, 1946 (synonym)
Phocaena tuberculifera Gray, 1865 (synonym)
Phocaena vomerina Gill, 1865 (synonym)
Phocena phocena Gray, 1821 (synonym)
Phocoena rondeletti Giglioli, 1870 (synonym)
Phocoena vomerina Hall & Kelson, 1959 (synonym)
Sources  original description: Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentius Salvius: Holmiae. ii, 824 pp., available online at http://gdz.sub.uni-goettingen.de/no_cache/dms/load/toc/?IDDOC=265100
page(s): 77 [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: Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France. 307 pp. (look up in IMIS[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: Gaskin, D. E., P. E. Arnold and B. A. Blair. (1974). Phocoena phocoena. Mammalian Species 42:1--8. [details]

additional source: Dyntaxa (2013) Swedish Taxonomic Database. Accessed at www.dyntaxa.se [15-01-2013]., available online at http://www.dyntaxa.se [details]

additional source: ITIS database, available online at http://www.itis.gov [details]

Vernacular
Names
 
Language   Name 
Aleut aladak  [details]
Aleut alagikkh  [details]
Basque izurdia  [details]
Bulgarian mutkur  [details]
Bulgarian Муткур  [details]
Catalan marsopa comuna  [details]
Czech svinucha pobrezní  [details]
Danish marsvin  [details]
Danish tumler  [details]
Dutch bruinvis  [details]
Dutch bruinvisch  [details]
Dutch tonyn  [details]
Dutch zee-vark  [details]
English bay porpoise  [details]
English bucker  [details]
English common porpoise  [details]
English harbor porpoise  [details]
English harbour porpoise  [details]
English herring hog  [details]
English hogfish  [details]
English neesock  [details]
English nisack (Shetlands)  [details]
English pellock  [details]
English porpess  [details]
English puffing pig  [details]
English puffy-dunter  [details]
English sea-hog  [details]
English sea-pig  [details]
Faroese nise  [details]
French marsouin  [details]
French marsouin commun  [details]
French phocene marsouin  [details]
French poursille  [details]
German Braunfisch  [details]
German kleiner Tummler  [details]
German Meerschwein  [details]
German Schweinswal  [details]
Icelandic bruinskop  [details]
Icelandic handfiskar  [details]
Icelandic hnisa  [details]
Irish muc mhara  [details]
Italian focena  [details]
Italian marsuino  [details]
Japanese nezumi iruka  [details]
Kalaallisut piglertok  [details]
Korean soe-dolgorae  [details]
Latin maris sus  [details]
Latvian jurascuka  [details]
Lithuanian paprastoji jūrų kiaulė  [details]
Modern Greek (1453-) Φώκαινα  [details]
Norwegian marsvün  [details]
Norwegian nesa, nise or nisa  [details]
Norwegian nise  [details]
Norwegian tumler  [details]
Norwegian Bokmål nise  [details]
Norwegian Nynorsk nise  [details]
Polish morświn  [details]
Polish morświn (zwyczajny)  [details]
Polish morświn zwyczajny  [details]
Polish swinia morska  [details]
Portuguese boto  [details]
Portuguese toninha  [details]
Romanian focena  [details]
Russian azovka  [details]
Russian azovka (Black and Azov Seas)  [details]
Russian azovskii delfin  [details]
Russian azovskii delfin (Azov Sea)  [details]
Russian burtuk  [details]
Russian chuska  [details]
Russian morskaya svinya  [details]
Russian pyktun  [details]
Russian sapun  [details]
Russian shutnik  [details]
Russian svinka  [details]
Scottish Gaelic pellock  [details]
Slovenian pristaniška rjava pliskavka  [details]
Spanish marsopa  [details]
Spanish marsopa común  [details]
Spanish marsopa de bahia  [details]
Spanish marsopa de portena  [details]
Spanish puerco de mar  [details]
Swedish marsvin  [details]
Swedish nise  [details]
Swedish trumblare  [details]
Swedish tumlare  [details]
Turkish bayağı musur  [details]
Turkish bayağı musur (balina)  [details]
Turkish mutur  [details]
Turkish yunus (from synonym)  [details]
Ukrainian Морська свиня  [details]
Ukrainian Фоцена звичайна  [details]
Welsh llamhidydd  [details]
Direct child
taxa

[show all]
 Subspecies Phocoena phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies Phocoena phocoena relicta Abel, 1905
Subspecies Phocoena phocoena vomerina (Gill, 1865)
Environment marine
Distribution Arctic Ocean [details]
Azores Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
Baltic sea [details]
Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
Black Sea [details]
Blankenberge [details]
Bredene [details]
Bretagne [details]
De Haan [details]
De Panne [details]
Den Helder [details]
Elbe [details]
European waters (ERMS scope) [details]
Goote Bank [details]
Greek Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
Gulf of Maine [details]
Gulf of St. Lawrence [details]
Irish Exclusive economic Zone [details]
Kara Sea [details]
Knokke [details]
Koksijde [details]
Mediterranean Sea [details]
Middelkerke [details]
Nieuwpoort [details]
North Atlantic [details]
North Pacific [details]
North Sea [details]
North West Atlantic [details]
Oostende [details]
Polish Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
Schelde estuary [details]
Senegalese Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
Southern Bight [details]
St. Lawrence Estuary [details]
Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
Wenduine [details]
Westende [details]
Wimereux (not certain[details]
Links Marine Life Information Network - UK
To Barcode of Life (31 barcodes)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (72 publications)
To Dyntaxa
To Encyclopedia of Life
To GenBank (606 nucleotides; 161 proteins)
To IUCN Red List
To Marine Species Identification Portal
To PESI
To ITIS
Notes  Biology: Harbour porpoises live either solitarily or in groups, normally of three to five individuals, although sometimes more. Normally individual porpoises or couples (mother and calf) are observed and high numbers can be seen during migrations.
Like dolphins, the harbour porpoise orientates itself by means of echo-sounding or ‘sonar’. It has a particular way of swimming with a ‘rolling’ movement (imagine a turning wheel); part of the back, including the dorsal fin surfaces briefly before re-entering the water giving the appearance of a rotating motion. This movement will normally be repeated three to four times, prior to a long dive.


The diet of an adult harbour porpoise is made up of various pelagic and demersal fish, as well as invertebrates. In the Southern North Sea, it consists mainly of small benthic fish, herring, cephalopod, whiting and cod. A daily meal would normally consist of about 5 kilos fish (around 10% of the body [details]

Diet: Variety of inshore and offshore fish, herring, mackerel, and anchovy. Krill when young. [details]

Dimensions: Length: male 6' (1.9 m), female 6' (1.9 m), at birth 2 1/2' (0.7 m) [details]

Distribution: East Pacific; Eastern Atlantic Ocean; Indo-West Pacific; Western Atlantic Ocean [details]

Habitat: cool temperate and subpolar, mostly in shallow water [details]

Habitat: inshore and offshore [details]

Holotype: None in existence; name based on common porpoise of authors. [details]

IUCN Red List Category: Subpopulation Baltic Sea harbour porpoise : Critically Endangered (CR) [details]

IUCN Red List Category: Least Concern (LC) [details]

Morphology: The head is blunt. Depending on the light, the back may appear black, grey or brown). The flanks are grey and the underside is white. The pectoral fins are black. A dark line runs from the corner of the mouth to the flipper. The more or less triangular small dorsal fin is positioned in the centre of the back. The upper back and dorsal fin are the only features one normally gets to see of a swimming harbour porpoise. The chief characteristics are its small size, the blunt head and the small triangular dorsal fin. [details]

Morphology: Distinguishing characteristics: Dives without lifting tail. Blow not readily visible. Triangular dorsal fin. Spoon-shaped teeth. Blunt snout. Colour is grey above with white belly.  [details]

Predators: None [details]

Reproduction: Calving: May to June in the North Atlantic. Weaning at six months. [details]

Type locality: "Ocean Europaeo Balthico" [details]

Images 
Phocoena phocoena
Phocoena phocoena
added on 2006-02-28 - author: KBIN/BMM
qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2009-04-18 00:31:16

Bruinvissen
Bruinvissen
added on 2008-03-21 - author: Karl Van Ginderdeuren
qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2009-04-18 00:31:25

Van Beneden & Gervais (1880, pl. 43)
Van Beneden & Gervais (1880, pl. 43)
added on 2008-06-04 - author: Delahaye in Van Beneden & Gervais (1880)
scan provided by VLIZ - Wetenschatten
qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2009-04-18 00:31:34

Van Beneden & Gervais (1880, pl. 55)
Van Beneden & Gervais (1880, pl. 55)
added on 2008-06-04 - author: Delahaye in Van Beneden & Gervais (1880)
scan provided by VLIZ - Wetenschatten
qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2009-04-18 00:31:42

Van Beneden & Gervais (1880, pl. 56)
Van Beneden & Gervais (1880, pl. 56)
added on 2008-06-04 - author: Delahaye in Van Beneden & Gervais (1880)
scan provided by VLIZ - Wetenschatten
qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2009-04-18 00:31:52

Phocoena phocoena
Phocoena phocoena
added on 2009-02-16 - author: Collection Georges Declercq
qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2013-04-26 18:05:47

Phocoena phocoena
Phocoena phocoena
added on 2009-02-16 - author: Collection Georges Declercq
qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2013-04-26 18:06:04

Phocoena phocoena
Phocoena phocoena
added on 2009-02-16 - author: Collection Georges Declercq
qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2009-04-18 00:32:26

Phocoena phocoena
Phocoena phocoena
added on 2009-02-16 - author: Collection Georges Declercq
qualitystatus: checked by Perrin, William on 2009-04-18 00:32:35

Skelet bruinvis
Skelet bruinvis
added on 2013-02-18 - author: Paul en Katleen Van Den Broeck-Buekenhoudt
qualitystatus: not checked
LSID urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:137117
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
  
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  Citation: Perrin, W. (2013). Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758). 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=137117 on 2013-06-19