In biology , a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group ( taxon ) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera , the term "unispecific" or "monospecific" is sometimes preferred. In botanical nomenclature , a monotypic genus is a genus in the special case where a genus and a single species are simultaneously described.
8-560: Generic Specific Orthia is a monotypic moth genus of the family Noctuidae . Its only species, Orthia augias , is found in the Brazilian state of Amazonas . Both the genus and species were first described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1853. This Agaristinae article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Monotypic Monotypic taxa present several important theoretical challenges in biological classification . One key issue
16-602: A common ancestor ) or paraphyletic (excluding some descendants), these concepts do not apply to monotypic taxa because they contain only a single member. Monotypic taxa are part of a broader challenge in biological classification known as aphyly – situations where evolutionary relationships are poorly supported by evidence. This includes both monotypic groups and cases where traditional groupings are found to be artificial. Understanding how monotypic taxa fit into this bigger picture helps identify areas needing further research. The German lichenologist Robert Lücking suggests that
24-482: A hierarchical system. When taxonomists identify a monotypic taxon, this often reflects uncertainty about its relationships rather than true evolutionary isolation . This uncertainty is evident in many cases across different species. For instance, the diatom Licmophora juergensii is placed in a monotypic genus because scientists have not yet found clear evidence of its relationships to other species. Some taxonomists argue against monotypic taxa because they reduce
32-553: A natural classification. From a cladistic perspective, which focuses on shared derived characteristics to determine evolutionary relationships, the theoretical status of monotypic taxa is complex. Some argue they can only be justified when relationships cannot be resolved through synapomorphies (shared derived characteristics); otherwise, they would necessarily exclude related species and thus be paraphyletic. However, others contend that while most taxonomic groups can be classified as either monophyletic (containing all descendants of
40-402: Is known as "Gregg's Paradox": if a single species is the only member of multiple hierarchical levels (for example, being the only species in its genus, which is the only genus in its family), then each level needs a distinct definition to maintain logical structure. Otherwise, the different taxonomic ranks become effectively identical, which creates problems for organizing biological diversity in
48-407: Is particularly associated with island species. Among 25 documented extinct monotypic genera studied, 22 occurred on islands, with flightless animals being particularly vulnerable to human impacts. Just as the term monotypic is used to describe a taxon including only one subdivision, the contained taxon can also be referred to as monotypic within the higher-level taxon, e.g. a genus monotypic within
56-745: The common application of the term monotypic is frequently misleading, "since each taxon by definition contains exactly one type and is hence "monotypic", regardless of the total number of units", and suggests using "monospecific" for a genus with a single species, and "monotaxonomic" for a taxon containing only one unit. Species in monotypic genera tend to be more threatened with extinction than average species. Studies have found this pattern particularly pronounced in amphibians , where about 6.56% of monotypic genera are critically endangered , compared to birds and mammals where around 4.54% and 4.02% of monotypic genera face critical endangerment respectively. Studies have found that extinction of monotypic genera
64-427: The information content of biological classifications. As taxonomists Backlund and Bremer explain in their critique, "'Monotypic' taxa do not provide any information about the relationships of the immediately subordinate taxon". When monotypic taxa are sister to a single larger group, they might be merged into that group; however, when they are sister to multiple other groups, they may need to remain separate to maintain
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