Beluga (sturgeon)

Beluga Temporal range: Pleistocene–Recent[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Huso huso
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[2]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[3]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Acipenseriformes
Family:	Acipenseridae
Genus:	Huso
Species:	H. huso
Binomial name
Huso huso (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[4][5]
Acipenser huso Linnaeus 1758 Acipenser belugus Forster 1767 Acipenser shyp Forster 1767 Acipenser schypa Gmelin 1789 Acipenser albulus Forster 1767 Huso ichthyocollus Bonaparte 1846 Acipenser vallisnerii Molin 1853 Huso huso maeoticus Sal'nikov & Malyatskii 1934 Huso huso ponticus Sal'nikov & Malyatskii 1934 Huso huso ponticus n. occidentalis Sal'nikov & Malyatskii 1934 Huso huso ponticus n. orientalis Sal'nikov & Malyatskii 1934 Huso huso caspicus Babushkin 1942 Huso huso caspicus n. curensis Babushkin 1942 Huso huso orientalis Lelek 1987

The beluga (/bəˈluːɡə/), also known as the beluga sturgeon or great sturgeon (Huso huso), is a species of anadromous fish in the sturgeon family (Acipenseridae) of the order Acipenseriformes. It is found primarily in the Caspian and Black Sea basins, and formerly in the Adriatic Sea. Based on maximum size, it is the third-most-massive living species of bony fish.^[6] Heavily fished for the female's valuable roe, known as beluga caviar, wild populations have been greatly reduced by overfishing and poaching, leading IUCN to classify the species as critically endangered.^[2]