Taxonomic Hierarchy

A taxon is a taxonomic group of any rank within a classification system (as defined by H. J. Lam in 1948). For instance, within the plant kingdom, each of the ranks Angiospermae, Dicotyledonae, Polypetalae and Malvaceae represents a taxonomic group — that is, each one is a taxon.

Table 2.2 illustrates the complete taxonomic hierarchy for two very different organisms, the China-rose (a flowering plant) and the cobra (a reptile), tracing each from the broad rank of Kingdom down to the precise rank of Species. Notice how at the Kingdom level the two organisms are already completely separate (Plantae vs Anima …