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
Pseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846) Preferred
Globicephalus grayi Burmeister, 1867 Synonym
Orca crassidens Gray, 1846 Synonym
Orca destructor Cope, 1866 Synonym
Orca meridionalis Flower, 1865 Synonym
Phocaena crassidens Owen, 1846 Basionym
Pseudorca crassidens meridionalis Deraniyagala, 1945 Synonym
Pseudorca grayi Burmeister, 1872 Synonym
Pseudorca mediterranea Giglioli, 1882 Synonym
Pseudorca meridionalis Gray, 1866 Synonym

Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Name Relationship
Pseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846) Preferred
Orca destructor Cope, 1866 Junior synonym
Pseudorca meridionalis (Flower, 1865) Junior synonym
Phocaena crassidens Owen, 1846 Original name/combination
Orca meridionalis Flower, 1865 Junior synonym

Paleobiology Database

Name Relationship
Pseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846) Preferred
Orca crassidens (Owen 1846) Valid
Phocaena crassidens Owen, 1846 Valid
Delphinus (Phocaena) crassidens (Owen 1846) Valid
Pseudorca meridionalis (Flower 1864) Heterotypic synonym
Orca (Pseudorca) meridionalis Flower 1864 Heterotypic synonym
Orca meridionalis Flower 1864 Heterotypic synonym
Globicephalus grayi Burmeister 1869 Heterotypic synonym
Pseudorca grayi (Burmeister 1869) Heterotypic synonym
Pseudorca mediterranea Giglioli, 1882 Heterotypic synonym
Orca destructor Cope, 1866 Heterotypic synonym

South African Vertebrates

Name Relationship
Pseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846) Preferred
Orca destructor Cope, 1866 Synonym
Orcinus nanus Mikhalev & Ivashin 1981 Synonym
Delphinus intermedius Gray 1827 Synonym
Orca meridionalis Flower, 1865 Synonym
Pseudorca meridionalis (Flower, 1865) Synonym

NCBI Taxonomy

Name Relationship
Pseudorca crassidens Preferred
Pseudoorca crassidens Synonym

Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: April 2013

Name Relationship
Pseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846) Preferred
Orca destructor Cope, 1866 Synonym
Pseudorca meridionalis (Flower, 1865) Synonym
Phocaena crassidens Owen, 1846 Synonym
Orca meridionalis Flower, 1865 Synonym

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