Caperea marginata

(J. E. Gray, 1847)

Pygmy Right Whale

Dorsal view of skull mounted as garden ornament. Formerly in Neobalaenidae. Also as Western Australian Whale.
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Location:New Zealand, Stewart Island/Rakiura, ObanDate taken:May 23, 2011Description:Dorsal view of skull mounted as garden ornament. Formerly in Neobalaenidae. Also as Western Australian Whale.

Distribution :

Southern hemisphere: cold-temperate waters.

Image courtesy of the ASM Mammal Images Library · MIL ID: 5584

Taxonomy

Subclass : Theria
Infraclass : Placentalia
Magnorder : Boreoeutheria
Superorder : Laurasiatheria
Order : Artiodactyla
Suborder : Cetacea
Infraorder : Mysticeti
Superfamily : Cetotherioidea
Family : Cetotheriidae
Subfamily : Neobalaeninae
Genus : Caperea

Species status

Living
Found in the wild
Listed in MSW3 2005

Authority citation

Gray, J.E. 1847-01-29. On the cetaceous animals. Pp. 13–53 in Richardson, J. and Gray, J.E. 1844-1875. The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus & Terror, under the command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross, R.N., F.R.S., during the years 1839 to 1843. Vol. I. Mammalia, Birds. E. W. Janson, London, not continuously paginated pp.

Authority publication link

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6957479

Original name as described

Balæna marginata

Other common names

Western Australian Whale

Type material

BMNH:Mamm:1846.1.22.5, BMNH:Mamm:339a, BMNH:Mamm:339b, BMNH:Mamm:339c

Type kind

syntypes

Type specimen URI

https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/05ee54c9-2be0-4fbd-8ff0-f84737c34cde https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/f99201af-ef99-4e7f-ac59-e41e085e531c

Type locality

"Inhab. W. Australia."

Biogeographic realm

Marine

Country distribution

Argentina · Australia · Chile · Falkland Islands · Namibia · New Zealand · South Africa

Taxonomy notes

has typically been included under Neobalaenidae but recent palaeontological data suggests this species is included uncer Cetotheriidae

Taxonomy notes citation

Fordyce, R.E. and Marx, F.G. 2013. The pygmy right whale Caperea marginata: the last of the cetotheres. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280(1753):20122645. doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.2645

IUCN Red List status

Least Concern

Species Permalink

https://mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1006406

Country distribution map

The map below provides a general overview. Most species inhabit only specific regions within countries. Hover over the highlighted regions to see the country name.

Names and synonyms

Present and past (if available) associated names to the species. Click on a name to view its details.

Total: 5 names and synonyms.

Balæna marginata

(J. E. Gray, 1847)

Family

Cetotheriidae

Root name

marginata

Validity status

species

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

BMNH:Mamm:1846.1.22.5, BMNH:Mamm:339a, BMNH:Mamm:339b, BMNH:Mamm:339c

Type kind

syntypes

Type specimen URI

https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/05ee54c9-2be0-4fbd-8ff0-f84737c34cde https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/f99201af-ef99-4e7f-ac59-e41e085e531c

Authority page

48

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6957479

Authority publication

London

Name usages

Gray (1847:48, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6957479) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/57401)
Gray (1864:348, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/22249798) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/20304)
Gray (1866:90, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9729835) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/37226)
Gray (1868:1, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15869419) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/60531)
Jackson & Groves (2015:315) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/34474)

Balæna (Caperea) antipodarum

(J. E. Gray, 1864)

Family

Cetotheriidae

Root name

antipodarum

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

BMNH:Mamm:1852.5.23.1 (= BMNH:Mamm:1467a)

Type kind

holotype

Type specimen URI

https://data.nhm.ac.uk/object/810bebec-d529-42d3-a839-1e31265851c9

Authority page

202

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28500503

Authority publication

Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London

Name usages

Gray (1864:202, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28500503) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36794)
Murray (1866:340, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15580336) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/39798)
Mead & Brownell (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/9684)
Jackson & Groves (2015:315) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/34474)

Caperea antipodarum

J. E. Gray, 1864

Family

Cetotheriidae

Root name

antipodarum

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

349

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/22249799

Authority publication

Annals and Magazine of Natural History

Name usages

Gray (1864:349, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/22249799) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/20304)
Gray (1866:101, 371, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9729846, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9730116) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/37226)
Gray (1866:371, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9729846) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/37226)
Gray (1868:2, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15869418) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/60531)
Gray (1870:393, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/29404916) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/69399)
Gray (1871:45, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15945478) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/37256)
Gray (1873:143, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28504344) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67205)

Neobalæna marginata

(J. E. Gray, 1870)

Family

Cetotheriidae

Root name

marginata

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

393

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/29404916

Authority publication

Annals and Magazine of Natural History

Name usages

Gray (1870:393, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/29404916) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/69399)
Gray (1871:40, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15945454) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/37256)
Gray (1873:143, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28504344) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67205)
Gray (1874:93, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34882219) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67283)
Gray (1874:93, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34882219) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67283)
Ogilby (1892:67, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/938589) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/69482)
Lahille (1899:197, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35147063) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/37834)
Trouessart (1905:786, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53423667) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/59290)
Oliver (1922:559, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32281829) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/14225)
Kellogg (1940:58) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/71565)

Caperea marginata

F. C. Fraser & Purves, 1960

Family

Cetotheriidae

Root name

marginata

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

37

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27756153

Authority publication

Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History)

Name usages

Fraser & Purves (1960:37, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27756153) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/49914)
Hershkovitz (1966:184, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7870026) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/11469)
Corbet & Hill (1980:113) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/63069)
Honacki, Kinman & Koeppl (1982:304, 305) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/63071)
Corbet & Hill (1991:122) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/63070)
Mead & Brownell (1993:351) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/69010)
Mead & Brownell (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/9684)
Mittermeier & Wilson (2014:219) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67175)
Jackson & Groves (2015:315) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/34474)
Mammal Diversity Database (2018:ID #3778) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67336)
Mammal Diversity Database (2019:ID #3778) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67337)
D'Elía, Canto-Hernández, Ossa, Verde-Arregoitia, Bostelmann, Iriarte, Amador, Quiroga-Carmona, Hurtado, Cadenillas & Valdez (2020:71) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67620)
Mammal Diversity Database (2024, https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1006406) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67250)
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (2024, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3778/50351626) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67246)

Please send any edits, corrections, or unfilled data (including full citations) to mammaldiversity [at] gmail [dot] com.