Peponocephala

Peponocephala is a monotypic genus of oceanic dolphin, family Delphinidae, containing the single species Peponocephala electra, the melon-headed whale, widely distributed through deep tropical and subtropical waters worldwide but rarely encountered at sea, most often seen near oceanic islands such as Hawaii, French Polynesia and the Philippines. First described from a Hawaiian specimen collected in 1841 and originally classified as Lagenorhynchus electra, it was later recognized as distinct enough to warrant its own genus. A member of the subfamily Globicephalinae, it is closely related to the long-finned and short-finned pilot whales and the pygmy killer whale.