A taxon (plural taxa) is an element of a taxonomy, e.g. in the scientific classification in biology. For example, in biology, the family Hominidae is one taxon, as is the genus Homo and the species Homo sapiens.
Taxa form a hierarchical scheme, each being broken down into subtaxa.
In traditional Linnaean taxonomy, taxa are ranked as follows, with some of the less widely used ranks indented:
A prefix is used to indicate a ranking that falls between two taxa. 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)
A taxon (plural taxa), or taxonomic unit, is an element of a taxonomy, most commonly used in the scientific classification in biology, where a taxon is a group of organisms that has been named.
Such taxa with a high, but fluctuating, rank are sometimes informally referred to as "major groups".
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.
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