Incertae sedis
Incertae sedis (
Examples
- The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any family, but was placed incertae sedis within the order Ericales when described in 2001.[6]
- The fossil .
- While it was unclear to which order the New World vultures (family Cathartidae) should be assigned, they were placed in Aves incertae sedis.[8] It was later agreed to place them in a separate order, Cathartiformes.[9]
- Parakaryon myojinensis, a single-celled organism that is apparently distinct from prokaryotes and eukaryotes.[12]
- Metallogenium is a bacterium that can form star-shaped minerals.[13]
- Circothecidae are a family of Cambrian animals, sometimes attributed to the Hyolitha, though some authors suggest (on the basis of no specified evidence) that they are definitely not.
In formal nomenclature
When formally naming a taxon, uncertainty about its taxonomic classification can be problematic. The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, stipulates that "species and subdivisions of genera must be assigned to genera, and infraspecific taxa must be assigned to species, because their names are combinations", but ranks higher than the genus may be assigned incertae sedis.[14]
Reason for use
Poor description
This excerpt from a 2007 scientific paper about crustaceans of the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench and the Japan Trench describes typical circumstances through which this category is applied in discussing:[15]
...the removal of many genera from new and existing families into a state of incertae sedis. Their reduced status was attributed largely to poor or inadequate descriptions but it was accepted that some of the vagueness in the analysis was due to insufficient character states. It is also evident that a proportion of the characters used in the analysis, or their given states for particular taxa, were inappropriate or invalid. Additional complexity, and factors that have misled earlier authorities, are intrusion by extensive
homoplasies, apparent character state reversals and convergent evolution.
Not included in an analysis
If a formal
Controversy
If conflicting results exist or if there is not a consensus among researchers as to how a taxon relates to other organisms, it may be listed as incertae sedis until the conflict is resolved.[5]
Phylogenetic vs. nomenclatural uncertainty
The term incertae sedis refers to uncertainty about phylogenetic position of a taxon, which may be expressed, among others, by using a question mark after or before a taxon name. This should be distinguished from the situation where either it is uncertain how to use a name, often because the types have been lost (nomen dubium, species inquirenda), or whether a poorly preserved specimen should be included within a given species or genus, which is often expressed using a 'cf.' (from Latin confer, compare, before a taxon name); such a convention is especially widespread in palaeontology.[16]
In zoological nomenclature
In zoological nomenclature, "incertae sedis" is not a nomenclatural term at all per se, but is used by taxonomists in their classifications to mean "of uncertain taxonomic position".
See also
- Glossary of scientific naming
- Nomen dubium, a name of unknown or doubtful application
- Species inquirenda, a species that in the opinion of the taxonomist requires further investigation
- Wastebasket taxon
- Sui generis (biology)
- Unclassified language
References
- ^ "Plumalina plumaria". JSJ Geology. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- ^ a b c "Glossary". International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". PLANTS database. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Allaby, M. (1999). A Dictionary of Zoology. Oxford University Press. p. 704. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g S. C. Matthews (1973). "Notes on open nomenclature and synonymy lists" (PDF). Palaeontology. 16 (4): 713–719. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2011.
- PMID 11250825.
- S2CID 39189634.
- American Ornithologists' Union. Archived from the originalon 10 October 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
- American Ornithologists' Union. Archived from the originalon 2 March 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- PMID 26064613.
- S2CID 3592799.
- PMID 23024290.
- ISBN 978-1-4020-9211-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-87429-425-6. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- .
- ^ Bengtson, Peter (January 1988). "Open Nomenclature" (PDF). Palaeontology. 1 (31): 223–227.
External links
- The dictionary definition of incertae sedis at Wiktionary
- Media related to incertae sedis at Wikimedia Commons