Balaenoptera physalus

• Main Authors: Jo, Yeong-Seok, Baccus, John T., Koprowski, John L.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Chordata; Mammalia; Cetacea; Balaenopteridae; Balaenoptera; Balaenoptera physalus; Pacific; Norway; Morrison; Elliot; Fin whale; Alaska
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/4571366; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4571366

Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) —Fin Whale Balaena physalus Linnaeus, 1758 p.75; Type locality- Norway. Sibbalius veliferus: True, 1884 p.591. Balaenoptera velifera copei Elliot, 1901 p.13; Type locality- Shumagin Island, Alaska. Balaenoptera physalus: Kuroda, 1938 p.10; Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1951 p.715; Won, 1958 p.433; Won, 1967 p.77; Won, 1968 p.238; Kim et al., 2000 p.54; Kim, 2004 p.219. Balaenoptera swinhoii: Kuroda, 1938 p.11. Range: Fishermen have caught B. physalus along all the coasts of Korea, but observations of this whale came primarily from the East Sea (Fig. 79). The harvest of 921 fin whales from 1958 to 1982 possibly led to their rarefaction (Park 1987). In 1996, the stranded body of a fin whale was found at Incheon. Observations of this species in spring and autumn on the northeastern coast follow the October to May migrations in the Yellow Sea (Kim 2004). During August and November, these whales appear congregate around the southern coast. Remarks: Although the polyphyletic fin whales are clustered into three genetic clades, the taxonomic status of fin whales in the North Pacific Ocean remains unresolved (National Marine Fisheries Service 2013). Conservation status: The South Korean government designated B. physalus as a Protected Marine Species in 2007. The Red Data Book of North Korea listed it as a ‘Rare’ species (MAB National Committee of DPR Korea 2002). This species is listed on Appendix I of CITES. Published as part of Jo, Yeong-Seok, Baccus, John T. & Koprowski, John L., 2018, Mammals of Korea: a review of their taxonomy, distribution and conservation status, pp. 1-216 in Zootaxa 4522 (1) on pages 118-119, DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.4522.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2610198