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Peponocephala electra (melon-headed whale)

Mammalia - Cetacea - Delphinidae

Taxonomy
Lagenorhynchus electra was named by Gray (1846). It is extant. Its type specimen is BMNH unnumbered, a skull (skull).

It was recombined as Lagenorhynchus (Electra) electra by Gray (1866); it was replaced with Electra obtusa by Gray (1868); it was recombined as Peponocephala electra by Nishiwaki and Norris (1966), Vidal (1991), Jefferson and Barros (1997), Rice (1998), Bolaños and Villaroel-Marin (2003), Mead and Brownell (2005), Agnarsson and May-Collado (2008), Perrin et al. (2013), Jefferson (2021).

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1846Lagenorhynchus asia Gray p. 35
1846Lagenorhynchus electra Gray p. 35
1848Delphinus pectoralis Peale p. 32
1849Phocoena pectoralis Peale
1850Lagenorhynchus electra Gray p. 100
1850Lagenorhynchus asia Gray p. 101
1866Lagenorhynchus fusiformis Gray
1866Lagenorhynchus asia Gray p. 216
1866Lagenorhynchus electra Gray p. 216
1866Lagenorhynchus (Electra) electra Gray p. 268
1866Lagenorhynchus asia Gray p. 269
1866Delphinus (Lagenorhynchus) fusiformis Owen
1866Delphinus fusiformis Owen
1866Delphinus (Lagenorhynchus) fusiformis Owen p. 22
1868Electra asia Gray p. 7
1868Electra fusiformis Gray p. 7
1868Electra obtusa Gray p. 7
1871Electra asia Gray p. 76
1871Electra fusiformis Gray p. 76
1871Electra obtusa Gray p. 76
1873Lagenorhynchus asia Scott p. 84
1873Lagenorhynchus electra Scott p. 84
1873Lagenorhynchus fusiformis Scott p. 84
1904Lagenorhynchus electra Trouessart p. 767
1963Lagenorhynchus electra Scheffer and Rice p. 6
1966Lagenorhynchus electra Hershkovitz p. 69
1966Peponocephala electra Nishiwaki and Norris
1991Peponocephala electra Vidal p. 5
1997Peponocephala electra Jefferson and Barros p. 1
1998Peponocephala electra Rice p. 116
2003Peponocephala electra Bolaños and Villaroel-Marin p. 231
2005Peponocephala electra Mead and Brownell p. 731
2008Peponocephala electra Agnarsson and May-Collado p. 981 figs. Fig. 2
2013Peponocephala electra Perrin et al. p. 571 figs. Table 1
2021Peponocephala electra Jefferson p. 21

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
—Mammaliamorpha
—Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
RankNameAuthor
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—Laurasiatheria
—Scrotifera
—Euungulata
—Artiodactylamorpha
—Artiodactyla()
—Whippomorpha
orderCetacea
—Pelagiceti
—Neoceti
suborderOdontoceti
infraorderDelphinida
superfamilyDelphinoidea
familyDelphinidae
subfamilyGlobicephalinae()
genusPeponocephalaNishiwaki and Norris 1966
specieselectra()

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Peponocephala electra Gray 1846 [melon-headed whale]
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Invalid names: Delphinus (Lagenorhynchus) fusiformis Owen 1866 [synonym], Delphinus pectoralis Peale 1848 [synonym], Electra asia Gray 1846 [synonym], Electra fusiformis Owen 1866 [synonym], Electra obtusa Gray 1868 [synonym], Phocoena pectoralis Peale 1849 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: hydroxyapatitesubo
Form: roller-shapedo
Ontogeny: modification of partso
Environment: marine, freshwatersubo
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: aquatico
Depth habitat: surfaceo
Diet: piscivoref
Diet 2: carnivoref
Reproduction: viviparoussubo
Created: 2005-06-08 10:11:09
Modified: 2005-06-08 12:11:09
Source: f = family, subo = suborder, o = order
References: Uhen 2004, Nowak 1991

Age range: Holocene or 0.01170 to 0.00000 Ma

Collections (12 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Brazil Peponocephala electra (168156)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Western Sahara Peponocephala electra (168154)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Tanzania Peponocephala electra (168161)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Peru Peponocephala electra (168157)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0New Zealand Peponocephala electra (168159)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Florida) Peponocephala electra (168153)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0New Caledonia Peponocephala electra (82089 82090)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Angola Peponocephala electra (168155)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Japan Peponocephala electra (168160)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Mexico Peponocephala electra (168158)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0India Peponocephala electra (168162)