PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Globicephala melas (long-finned pilot whale)

Mammalia - Cetacea - Delphinidae

Taxonomy

Delphinus melas was named by Traill (1809). It is extant. Its type specimen is BMNH 363a-44.12.3.2, lectotype, a skull. Its type locality is Scapa Bay, which is in a Holocene estuary/bay horizon in the United Kingdom.

It was recombined as Globicephalus melas by De Kay (1842), Gray (1846), Scott (1873), Lydekker (1887), Trouessart (1904), Turner (1912); it was corrected as Delphinus melaena by Thomas (1898); it was recombined as Globicephala melaena by Thomas (1898), Oliver (1922), Scheffer and Rice (1963), Hershkovitz (1966), Van Bree (1971); it was recombined as Globicephala melas by Murie (1874), Palmer (1904), Rice (1998), Mead and Brownell (2005), Agnarsson and May-Collado (2008), Uhen et al. (2008), Perrin et al. (2013), Jefferson (2021).

Subspecies

Globicephala melaena melaena

Synonyms

Grampus affinis was named by Gray (1866). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966).
Globicephalus intermedius was named by Gray (1827). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Mead and Brownell (2005).
Phocaena edwardii was named by Smith (1834). It is extant.

It was recombined as Globiocephalus edwardsii by Gray (1866); it was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966); it was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Jefferson (2021).
Globicephalus edwardsii was named by Gray (1866). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966).
Globicephalus indicus was named by Blyth (1852). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966).
Globiocephalus affinis was named by Gray (1846). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966); it was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Jefferson (2021).
Globiocephalus incrassatus was named by Gray (1861). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966); it was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Jefferson (2021).
Sphaerocephalus incrassatus was named by Gray (1866). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966).
Globicephala edwardii was named by Smith (1834). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Mead and Brownell (2005).
Globicephala leucosagmaphora was named by Rayner (1939). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Mead and Brownell (2005), Jefferson (2021).
Globicephalus chilensis was named by Philippi (1896). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966); it was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Jefferson (2021).
Delphinus intermedius was named by Harlan (1872). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Jefferson (2021).
Phocaena globiceps was named by Lesson (1827). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Jefferson (2021).
Globicephalus conductor was named by Rapp (1837). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Jefferson (2021).
Delphinus grampus was named by Gray (1846). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Jefferson (2021).
Delphinus grinda was named by Lyngbye (1825). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966); it was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Jefferson (2021).
Delphinus carbonarius was named by Wagner (1846). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966); it was considered a nomen dubium by Jefferson (2021).
Globicephalus svineval was named by Gray (1846). It is extant.

It was recombined as Globiocephalus svineval by Gray (1850), Gray (1868); it was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966); it was misspelled as Globiocephalus svineval by Gray (1864), Gray (1866), Gray (1871); it was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Mead and Brownell (2005), Jefferson (2021).
Delphinus deductor was named by Scoresby (1820). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966); it was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Jefferson (2021).
Globicephala indica was named by Blythe (1852). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Hershkovitz (1966).
Delphinus globiceps was named by Cuvier (1812). It is extant. Its type locality is Nagasaki, which is in a Holocene coastal horizon in Japan.

It was synonymized subjectively with Globicephalus melas by Gray (1846), Trouessart (1904); it was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melaena by Van Bree (1971); it was synonymized subjectively with Globicephala melas by Mead and Brownell (2005), Jefferson (2021).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1809	Delphinus melas Traill p. 81 figs. Plate 3
1812	Delphinus globiceps Cuvier p. 14
1820	Delphinus deductor Scoresby p. 496
1825	Delphinus grinda Lyngbye
1827	Globicephalus intermedius Gray p. 396
1827	Phocaena globiceps Lesson
1829	Delphinus grinda Cuvier
1829	Delphinus globiceps Fischer p. 512
1834	Globicephala edwardii Smith
1834	Phocaena edwardii Smith
1837	Globicephalus conductor Rapp
1842	Globicephalus melas De Kay
1846	Delphinus grampus Gray
1846	Globicephalus svineval Gray p. 32
1846	Globiocephalus affinis Gray p. 32
1846	Globicephalus melas Gray p. 84
1846	Delphinus carbonarius Wagner p. 305 figs. Plate 352, Fig. 1
1847	Delphinus globiceps Nilsson p. 608
1850	Globiocephalus svineval Gray p. 87
1850	Globiocephalus affinis Gray p. 89
1852	Globicephalus indicus Blyth
1852	Globicephala indica Blythe p. 99
1852	Delphinus melas Gervais p. 148
1861	Globiocephalus incrassatus Gray
1864	Globiocephalus svineval Gray p. 243
1864	Globiocephalus affinis Gray p. 244
1864	Globiocephalus incrassatus Gray p. 244
1866	Grampus affinis Gray p. 300
1866	Globiocephalus svineval Gray p. 314
1866	Globiocephalus affinis Gray p. 317
1866	Globicephalus edwardsii Gray p. 320
1866	Globiocephalus edwardsii Gray p. 320
1866	Globiocephalus indicus Gray p. 322
1866	Sphaerocephalus incrassatus Gray p. 324
1866	Globiocephalus incrassatus Gray p. 325
1868	Globiocephalus svineval Gray p. 8
1868	Sphaerocephalus incrassatus Gray p. 9
1871	Globicephalus svineval Gray p. 83
1871	Sphaerocephalus incrassatus Gray p. 85
1872	Delphinus intermedius Harlan
1873	Globicephalus melas Scott p. 99
1873	Sphaerocephalus incrassatus Scott p. 101
1874	Globicephala melas Murie p. 235 figs. Plates 30-38
1887	Globicephalus melas Lydekker p. 81
1896	Globicephalus chilensis Philippi
1898	Delphinus melaena Thomas
1898	Globicephala indica Thomas p. 99
1898	Globicephala melaena Thomas p. 99
1904	Globicephala melas Palmer p. 296
1904	Globicephalus chilensis Trouessart p. 770
1904	Globicephalus indicus Trouessart p. 770
1904	Globicephalus melas Trouessart p. 770
1912	Globicephalus melas Turner p. 114
1922	Globicephala melaena Oliver p. 578
1939	Globicephala leucosagmaphora Rayner
1963	Globicephala melaena Scheffer and Rice p. 7
1966	Globicephala melaena Hershkovitz p. 91
1971	Globicephala melaena Van Bree p. 83
1998	Globicephala melas Rice p. 119
2005	Globicephala melas Mead and Brownell p. 728
2008	Globicephala melas Agnarsson and May-Collado p. 981 figs. Fig. 2
2008	Globicephala melas Uhen et al. p. 592
2013	Globicephala melas Perrin et al. p. 571 figs. Table 1
2021	Globicephala melas Jefferson p. 16

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Messinian - Early/Lower Pleistocene	7.246 - 0.781	Netherlands	Globicephala melaena (189573)
Late/Upper Pleistocene	0.129 - 0.0117	Spain	Globicephala melas (96706)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	United Kingdom (Scottland)	Globicephalus melas (238885)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	United Kingdom (England)	Globicephalus melas (238911 238921)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Italy	Globicephala melas (168206)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	United Kingdom (Scotland)	Delphinus melas (type locality: 86899) Globicephalus melas (238886)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Antarctica	Globicephala melas (168208)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Svalbard and Jan Mayen	Globicephala melas (168207)