Sometimes taxonomists create new names for groups that already have a name. They may do this because they are unaware of the original name, or they may think the organism before them belongs to a different group when in fact it does not. If two or more names are found to apply to the same group, they are considered synonyms. In most cases, the first name takes priority and is considered to be the valid or accepted name. However, there can be exceptions, and it's not always easy to determine which of a series of synonyms should be considered valid or accepted. Here we list the synonyms provided to EOL by our classification partners. We also include other versions of the name that most likely refer to the same group, for example, misspellings in the literature or different variations of the authorship associated with the name.

Preferred marks the preferred name from each source.

World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS)

Name Relationship
Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) Preferred
Balaena allamack Gray, 1846 Synonym
Balaena atlanticus Hurdis, 1897 Synonym
Balaena boops Fabricius, 1780 Synonym
Balaena gibbosa Gray, 1843 Synonym
Balaena lalandii Fischer, 1829 Synonym
Balaena longimana Rudolphi, 1832 Synonym
Balaena nodosa Bonnaterre, 1789 Synonym
Balaena novaeangliae Borowski, 1781 Basionym
Balaena sulcata antarctica Schlegel, 1841 Synonym
Balaenoptera antarctica Temminck, 1841 Synonym
Balaenoptera astrolabe Pucheran, 1843 Synonym
Balaenoptera australis Lesson 1828 Synonym
Balaenoptera capensis A. Smith, 1834 Synonym
Balaenoptera leucopteron Lesson, 1842 Synonym
Balaenoptera syncondylus A. Mueller, 1863 Synonym
Kyphobalaena keporkak Van Beneden, 1868 Synonym
Megaptera americana Gray, 1846 Synonym
Megaptera antarctica Gray, 1846 Synonym
Megaptera australis Iredale & Troughton, 1934 Synonym
Megaptera bellicosa Cope, 1871 Synonym
Megaptera boops Van Beneden & Gervais, 1880 Synonym
Megaptera brasiliensis True, 1904 Synonym
Megaptera braziliensis Cope, 1867 Synonym
Megaptera burmeisteri Burmeister, 1866 Synonym
Megaptera gigas Cope, 1865 Synonym
Megaptera indica Gervais 1883 Synonym
Megaptera kusira Trouessart, 1904 Synonym
Megaptera kuzira Gray, 1850 Synonym
Megaptera lalandii Gray, 1864 Synonym
Megaptera longimana Gray, 1846 Synonym
Megaptera longimana morei Gray, 1866 Synonym
Megaptera longipinna Gray, 1846 Synonym
Megaptera nodosa Bonnaterre, 1789 Synonym
Megaptera nodosa Lahille, 1905 Synonym
Megaptera nodosa bellicosa Elliot, 1904 Synonym
Megaptera nodosa lalandii Tomilin, 1946 Synonym
Megaptera nodosa nodosa Tomilin, 1946 Synonym
Megaptera nodosa novaezealandiae Ivashin, 1958 Synonym
Megaptera novaezelandiae Gray, 1864 Synonym
Megaptera osphya Mead & Brownell, 2005 Synonym
Megaptera osphyia Cope, 1865 Synonym
Megaptera poescop Gray, 1846 Synonym
Megaptera versabilis Cope, 1869 Synonym
Poescopia lalandii Gray, 1866 Synonym
Rorqualus antarcticus F. Cuvier, 1836 Synonym
Rorqualus australis Hamilton, 1837 Synonym

Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Name Relationship
Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) Preferred
Megaptera nodosa (Bonnaterre, 1789) Junior synonym
Megaptera braziliensis Cope, 1867 Junior synonym
Megaptera indica Gervais 1883 Junior synonym
Megaptera lalandii (Fischer, 1829) Junior synonym
Megaptera longimana (Rudolphi, 1832) Junior synonym
Megaptera longipinna Gray, 1846 Other, see comments
Megaptera osphya Cope, 1865 Junior synonym
Megaptera versabilis Cope, 1869 Junior synonym
Balaena nodosa Bonnaterre, 1789 Junior synonym
Balaena lalandii Fischer, 1829 Junior synonym
Balaena longimana Rudolphi, 1832 Junior synonym
Balaena novaeangliae Borowski, 1781 Other, see comments

Paleobiology Database

Name Relationship
Megaptera novaeangliae (Brisson 1762) Preferred
Balaena novaeangliae Brisson 1762 Valid
Balaena longimana Rudolphi, 1832 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera longimana (Rudolphi, 1832) Heterotypic synonym
Physalus antarcticus (Temminck 1841) Heterotypic synonym
Balaenoptera antarctica Temminck, 1841 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera antarctica (Temminck 1841) Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera nodosa (Bonnaterre, 1789) Heterotypic synonym
Balaena nodosa Bonnaterre, 1789 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera boops (Fabricius 1780) Heterotypic synonym
Balaena boops Fabricius, 1780 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera lalandii Gray, 1864 Heterotypic synonym
Poescopia lalandii Gray, 1866 Heterotypic synonym
Balaena longipinna Gray 1846 Homotypic synonym
Megaptera longipinna (Gray 1846) Homotypic synonym
Megaptera americana Gray, 1846 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera kuzira Gray, 1850 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera kusira (Gray 1850) Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera novaezealandiae (Gray 1864) Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera nodosa novaezelandiae (Gray 1864) Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera novaezelandiae Gray, 1864 Heterotypic synonym
Balaenoptera capensis Smith 1835 Heterotypic synonym
Rorqualus antarcticus Cuvier 1836 Heterotypic synonym
Balaenoptera leucopteron Lesson, 1842 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera poeskop Gray 1846 Heterotypic synonym
Balaena allamack Gray, 1846 Heterotypic synonym
Balaenoptera astrolabae Pucheran 1853 Heterotypic synonym
Balaenoptera syncondylus Muller 1863 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera gigas Cope, 1865 Heterotypic synonym
Kyphobalaena keporkak Van Beneden, 1868 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera bellicosa Cope, 1871 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera nodosa bellicosa (Cope 1871) Heterotypic synonym
Balaena atlanticus Hurdis, 1897 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera burmeisteri Gray 1866 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera braziliensis Cope, 1867 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera indica Gervais 1883 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera osphyia Cope, 1865 Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera nodosa osphyia (Cope 1865) Heterotypic synonym
Megaptera versabilis Cope, 1869 Heterotypic synonym
Balaena lalandii Fischer, 1829 Heterotypic synonym

South African Vertebrates

Name Relationship
Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) Preferred
Balaena lalandii Fischer, 1829 Synonym
Balaena longimana Rudolphi, 1832 Synonym
Balaena nodosa Bonnaterre, 1789 Synonym
Balaena novaeangliae Borowski, 1781 Synonym
Megaptera braziliensis Cope, 1867 Synonym
Megaptera indica Gervais 1883 Synonym
Megaptera lalandii Fischer, 1829 Synonym
Megaptera longimana (Rudolphi, 1832) Synonym
Megaptera longipinna Gray, 1846 Synonym
Megaptera nodosa (Bonnaterre, 1789) Synonym
Megaptera osphya Cope, 1865 Synonym
Megaptera versabilis Cope, 1869 Synonym

NCBI Taxonomy

Name Relationship
Megaptera novaeangliae Preferred
Megaptera novaeanagliae Misspelling

Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: April 2013

Name Relationship
Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) Preferred
Megaptera nodosa (Bonnaterre, 1789) Synonym
Megaptera braziliensis Cope, 1867 Synonym
Megaptera indica Gervais 1883 Synonym
Megaptera lalandii (Fischer, 1829) Synonym
Megaptera longimana (Rudolphi, 1832) Synonym
Megaptera longipinna Gray, 1846 Synonym
Megaptera osphya Cope, 1865 Synonym
Megaptera versabilis Cope, 1869 Synonym
Balaena nodosa Bonnaterre, 1789 Synonym
Balaena lalandii Fischer, 1829 Synonym
Balaena longimana Rudolphi, 1832 Synonym
Balaena novaeangliae Borowski, 1781 Synonym

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