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.
marks the preferred name from each source.
World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS)
| Name | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Globicephala melas (Traill, 1809) | Preferred |
| Delphinus deductor Scoresby, 1820 | Synonym |
| Delphinus globiceps Temminck, 1841 | Synonym |
| Delphinus globiceps G. Cuvier, 1812 | Synonym |
| Delphinus grampus Gray, 1846 | Synonym |
| Delphinus grinda Lyngbye, 1824 | Synonym |
| Delphinus melas Traill, 1809 | Synonym |
| Globicephala leucosagmaphora Rayner, 1939 | Synonym |
| Globicephala melaena (Traill, 1809) | Synonym |
| Globicephala melaena Thomas, 1898 | Synonym |
| Globicephala melas leucosagmaphora Tomilin, 1962 | Synonym |
| Globicephala meloena Paulus, 1960 | Junior synonym |
| Globicephalus affinis True, 1889 | Synonym |
| Globicephalus australis Gray, 1871 | Synonym |
| Globicephalus chiliensis Phillipi, 1896 | Synonym |
| Globicephalus conductor Rapp, 1837 | Synonym |
| Globicephalus globiceps Philippi, 1893 | Synonym |
| Globicephalus melas Flower, 1885 | Synonym |
| Globiceps affinis Flower, 1884 | Synonym |
| Globiceps melas Flower, 1884 | Synonym |
| Globiocephalus affinis Gray, 1846 | Synonym |
| Globiocephalus chilensis Philippi, 1896 | Synonym |
| Globiocephalus incrassatus Gray, 1862 | Synonym |
| Globiocephalus melas Murie, 1874 | Synonym |
| Globiocephalus swineval Gray, 1846 | Synonym |
| Grampus affinis Gray, 1866 | Synonym |
| Phocaena edwardii A. Smith, 1834 | Synonym |
| Phocaena edwardsii True, 1889 | Synonym |
| Phocaena globiceps A. Smith, 1834 | Synonym |
| Sphaerocephalus incrassatus Gray, 1864 | Synonym |
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
| Name | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Globicephala melas (Traill, 1809) | Preferred |
| Globicephala melaena (Traill, 1809) | Unavailable, literature misspelling |
| Delphinus melas Traill, 1809 | Original name/combination |
Paleobiology Database
| Name | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Globicephala melas (Traill, 1809) | Preferred |
| Globicephalus melas (Traill, 1809) | Valid |
| Delphinus melas Traill, 1809 | Valid |
| Globicephala melaena (Traill, 1809) | Valid |
| Globicephalus intermedius Gray 1827 | Heterotypic synonym |
| Globicephala edwardii Smith 1834 | Heterotypic synonym |
| Globicephala leucosagmaphora Rayner, 1939 | Heterotypic synonym |
NCBI Taxonomy
| Name | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Globicephala melas | Preferred |
| Globicephala melaena | Synonym |
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: April 2013
| Name | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Globicephala melas (Traill, 1809) | Preferred |
| Globicephala melaena (Traill, 1809) | Synonym |
| Delphinus melas Traill, 1809 | Synonym |
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