Taxon

A taxon (plural taxa) is an element of a taxonomy, e.g. in the scientific classification in biology. Taxa form a hierarchical scheme, each being broken down into subtaxa.

In traditional Linnaean taxonomy, taxa are ranked as follows:

• Kingdom
• Phylum (animals) or Division (plants)
• Class
• Order
• Family
• Genus
• Species

The prefix super- indicates a rank above another, the prefix sub- indicates a rank below another, and the prefix infra- indicates a rank below sub-. For instance:

• Superclass
• Class
• Subclass
• Infraclass

It has become generally accepted that taxa should contain an ancestral form and all or some of its descendants, though the validity of the latter category is increasingly debated.

External link

• Rules of Biocode 1997 (http://www.rom.on.ca/biodiversity/biocode/biocode1997.html)