Form classification
Form classification is the classification of organisms based on their
Form taxonomy is restricted to fossils that preserve too few characters for a conclusive taxonomic definition or assessment of their biological affinity, but whose study is made easier if a binomial name is available by which to identify them.[2] The term "form classification" is preferred to "form taxonomy"; taxonomy suggests that the classification implies a biological affinity, whereas form classification is about giving a name to a group of morphologically-similar organisms that may not be related.[1]
A "parataxon" (not to be confused with parataxonomy), or "sciotaxon" (Gr. "shadow taxon"), is a classification based on incomplete data: for instance, the larval stage of an organism that cannot be matched up with an adult. It reflects a paucity of data that makes biological classification impossible.[1] A sciotaxon is defined as a taxon thought to be equivalent to a true taxon (orthotaxon), but whose identity cannot be established because the two candidate taxa are preserved in different ways and thus cannot be compared directly.[1]
Examples
In zoology
Form taxa are groupings that are based on common overall forms. Early attempts at classification of
Fossil eggs are classified according to the parataxonomic system called
In botany
In
Names given to organ genera could only be applied to the organs in question, and could not be extended to the entire organism.
The part of the plant was often, but not universally, indicated by the use of a
- wood fossils may have generic names ending in -xylon
- leaf fossils generic names ending in -phyllum
- fruit fossils generic names ending in -carpon, -carpum or -carpus
- pollen fossils generic names ending in -pollis or -pollenoides.
Casual use
"Form taxon" can more casually be used to describe a
See also
Footnotes
- ^ JSTOR 1304949.
- ^ S2CID 88009670.
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, (series B), Vol. 209, pp. 1–73 Article from JSTOR
- JSTOR 4523773.
- .
- ISBN 3-906166-48-1, archived from the originalon 2015-09-24, retrieved 2016-03-19 Article 1.2
- ^ ISBN 978-3-87429-433-1
- ISBN 978-3-87429-425-6, archived from the originalon 2013-11-04, retrieved 2016-03-19 Article 1.2