Taxonomical Hierarchy Illustration with Example

Taxonomic hierarchy is the sequence of arrangement of taxonomic categories in descending order during the classification of an organism.

Species: It is a genetically closed system where the members do not interbreed with members of other species.

Genus: Genus is the assembly of related species which evolved from a common ancestors and have certain common characters called correlated characters. A genus having only one species is monotypic.

Family: It includes one or more genera. All the genera of a family have some common or correlated features. In plants the family ends in the suffix -aceae and subfamily – oideae . In animals the suffix –idae for family, for sub family – inae and for tribe –ini and for superfamily – oidea. 

Order: Order is taxonomic category which includes one or more related families with some common features. It ends with suffix -ales in plants.

Class: class is a taxonomic category which includes one or more related order. In case of plants it ends with suffix - -phyceae , opsida , ae  in plants.

Phylum/division: It is a category of taxonomy which includes one more related classes. This division give the suffix phyta and subdivisions -phytina.

Kingdom: kingdom is the highest taxonomic category. E.g.kingdom plantae, kingdom animaliae.

Examples:

Classification of plantae- mango.

Kingdom -                       Planta

Division -                        Spermatophyta

Subdivisions -                 Angiospermae

Class -                            Dicotyledoneae

Order -                           Sapindales

Family -                          Anacardiaceae

Genus -                           Mangifera

Species -                         indica

This is the classification of mango whose scientific name is Mangifera indica. This name consists of species and genus. Family is Anacardiaceae, here -aceae is added as suffix. Order is sapindales where -ales added as suffix in plants. Class ends with – ae in plants. Phylum is suffixed by – phyta. And mango is belong to plant kingdom.

Classification of animaliae – tiger.

Kingdom      –Animalia

Phylum        -Chordata

Subphylum  –Vertebrata

Class           -Mammalia

Order          –Carnivora

Family         –Felidae

Genus          -Panthera

Species       –tigris.

Binomial nomenclature of tiger is Panthera tigris. There is no specific suffix for order, class, phylum of animal. Order is Carnivora (flesh eating), class is Mammalia (give birth to the baby), subphylum Vertebrata (presence of vertebral column), phylum is chordata (presence of spine). Here genus is Panthera and species is tigris. The suffix -idea is added to become Felidae family.

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