ABSTRACT
The standard terminology for species is based on nested groups, starting with the two-part scientic name with a genus name and a species name. A genus can contain multiple species, a family can contain multiple genera, and so on. Users accept this system as intuitive and practical, but it is cause for great concern to certain specialists among the name-makers. Potential problems with ranked taxonomy mainly follow two lines of argumentation: rst, that these groupings may or may not reect evolutionary relatedness. Second, that named, higher-ranked groups do not follow transferable, a priori criteria (a ‘family’ in one group is not dened on the same criteria as a ‘family’ in another). Here, we will consider the origin and application of ranked groups and to what extent these concerns impact their utility.
