Higher Classification: > Kingdom Animalia > Subkingdom Eumetazoa > Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrata > Infraphylum Gnathostomata > Megaclass Tetrapoda > Class Mammalia > Subclass Theria > Order Cetartiodactyla > Suborder Cetancodonta > Infraorder Cetacea > Superfamily Odontoceti > Family Monodontidae > Genus Delphinapterus

Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)

Rank: Species
Taxon Status: accepted

Original genus

Delphinus Linnaeus, 1758

Relationships towards this taxon

Genus group names

*Delphinapterus*	Lacépède, 1804	accepted genus name

Vernaculars (+) (-)

Aleut: bechurinka

Anus, Korur: pechuga

Chukot: puuliak

Czech: běluha mořská

Danish: hvidfisk; hvidhval sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Dutch: beloega; witte dolfijn; witvis

English: beluga; buluga; sea canary; whale porpoise; white fish; white whale sources: North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)

Even: zatcha

French: baleine blanche; bélouga; dauphin blanc; delphinaptère blanc; marsouin blanc; moine de mer

German: Weissfisch; Weisswal

Greek: Μπελούγκα sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Icelandic: huitingar; mjaldur

Inuktitut: qilalgaq

Inupiaq: sisuaq (Northern Alaska); situaq (Bering Strait)

Italian: balena bianca; beluga sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Japanese: shiro iruka

Kalaallisut: kulelulak; qaqortoq

Khanty: visingkh-potlaengkh; vising-totleng

Korean: hin-gorae

Koryak: gik; iina

Lithuanian: baltasis delfinas sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Nenets: fiborska

Norwegian: hvidfisk; hvitfisk; hvithval

Norwegian Bokmål: hvithval sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Norwegian Nynorsk: kvitkval sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Polish: białucha sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Russian: belukha; morkskaia belukha; белуха sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Slovenian: beluga sources: Davorin Tome

Spanish, Castillian: ballena blanca; beluga

Swedish: hrafu-reydur; hvitagtik delphin; hvitfisk; vitval sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Turkish: ak balina; beluga; beluga balinası; beyaz balina sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Ukrainian: білуга; Білуха sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Welsh: morfil gwyn sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Yupik languages: cetuaq; keelaluga; pulzaq

Literature

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
additional source	Stewart, B. E. and R. E. A. Stewart. (1989). Delphinapterus leucas. Mammalian Species 336:1--8.
additional source	Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
additional source	Perrin, W.F.; Würsig, B.; Thewissen, J.G.M. (2009). Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Second edition. Academic Press: London. ISBN 978-0-12-373553-9. xxix, 1316 pp.
additional source	Jefferson, T. A., M. A. Webber and R. L. Pitman. (2008). Marine mammals of the world. Academic Press, Amsterdam.
additional source	Hershkovitz, P. (1966). Catalog of Living Whales. Bulletin of the United States National Museum. (246): 1-259.
additional source	Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
additional source	Mead, J. G.; Brownell, R. L. Jr. (2005). Cetacea. 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. 723--743.
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.
additional source	IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
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.
additional source	Rice, D. W. (1998). Marine mammals of the world. Systematics and distribution. Society for Marine Mammalogy Special Publication. 4.
ecology source	Looby, A.; Erbe, C.; Bravo, S.; Cox, K.; Davies, H. L.; Di Iorio, L.; Jézéquel, Y.; Juanes, F.; Martin, C. W.; Mooney, T. A.; Radford, C.; Reynolds, L. K.; Rice, A. N.; Riera, A.; Rountree, R.; Spriel, B.; Stanley, J.; Vela, S.; Parsons, M. J. G. (2023). Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. Scientific Data. 10(1).

Genbank

Citation

Fordyce, E.; Perrin, W.F. (2025). World Cetacea Database. Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776). Via: Costello, M.J.; Bouchet, P.; Boxshall, G.; Arvantidis, C.; Appeltans, W. (2011) European Register of Marine Species, Accessed through PESI at http://www.eu-nomen.eu/portal/taxon.php?GUID=urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:137115