Family (biology)
Family (biology)
Family (pronunciation: /ˈfæmɪli/; from Latin: familia) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy; it is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus.
Etymology
The term "family" comes from the Latin word "familia", which denotes a household establishment.
Definition
In biological taxonomy, a family is a higher rank than a genus. The names of families typically end in "-aceae". The term "family" as used in botany and zoology, is a nomenclatural rank in the classification of organisms. It is one of the seven main ranks: species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, and kingdom.
Related Terms
- Species: The basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity.
- Genus: A rank in the biological classification (taxonomy) that groups together species which share common characteristics.
- Order: A rank in the hierarchy of biological classification that classifies families and is below classes.
- Class: A taxonomic rank which groups together orders that have common characteristics.
- Phylum: A rank in the hierarchy of biological classification that groups together classes.
- Kingdom: The second highest taxonomic rank, just below domain, grouping together all forms of life having certain fundamental characteristics in common.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Family (biology)
- Wikipedia's article - Family (biology)
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