There are numerous varieties of animals and many persons are engaged in taxonomic work. As such there is every possibility of some confusion in nomenclature. Such a confusion did occur in the past. The same name has been given to different animals and different names have been given to the same animal. Linnaeus used some [...]
The species is the smallest category in classification. Species form a genus, genera a family, families an order, orders a class and the classes are combined into phyla. Several intermediate steps in classification are inserted to clarify the complexities of animal or plant relationships. The class may be divided into sub-classes, each containing several orders; [...]
Under any scheme of classification, forms which resemble one another are grouped together . Such structures which show superficial resemblance due to similar habits and environment are known as analogous structures. Analogy is the term which is used to express apparent similarity of the structures which have same function to perform but are different in [...]
The study relating to the evolutionary history of groups of organisms is called as Phylogeny. It not only refers to evolutionary origin but also to the pathways followed by organisms in evolution and reflects phylogenetic relationships between organisms. It is often expressed in the form of phylogenetic trees which indicate lines of descent among organisms. [...]
This is a large question that has been very controversial, but as more and more animals are studied using an increasing number of different molecules, confidence in molecular taxonomy is growing fast also. An indication of the advantages and disadvantages of using molecules may still be useful. Advantages 1. Hie equivalence of data, since the [...]
