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Taxonomy & Classification
The Problem
• It is currently estimated that there are
between 10 and 30 million species on
Earth (only 1 million have been named)
• Furthermore, only 1% of the species
that have ever existed are currently
alive (the remaining 99% are extinct)
Taxonomy
• Field of biology devoted to the naming
and classification of organisms
• Naming and classifying aids in the
storage and transfer of information
between scientists, and should facilitate
understanding of general relationships
between organisms
Carl Linnaeus
Father of Taxonomy
• Swedish botanist living
in the 1700’s wrote the
book Systema Naturae
• Developed the
hierarchical system of
naming categories
• Developed the
Bionomial system for
naming species
• Goal to determine the
underlying rules used
by God in the Creation
(like Newton’s Laws)
Plant Classification
• For the classification of
plants he focused on the
differences that existed
between the numbers of
male and female
reproductive parts.
• It was supposedly
scandalous in his day to
refer to the sex lives of
plants let alone to suggest
that some females plant
parts had more than one
possible mate.
Insect Classification
• Besides being a botanist, Linnaeus was
important in the development of the
foundation of insect classification
• His scheme focused on the number and
characteristics of their wings
Hierarchical Naming System
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Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
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Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Primates
Hominidae
Homo
Homo sapiens
Five Kingdom System
• Kingdom Monera
(Bacteria)
• Kingdom Protista
• Kingdom Fungi
• Kingdom Plantae
• Kingdom Animalia
Insects Classification
• The term “insect” refers to a Class in the
Kingdom Animalia
• The groups that Linnaeus and others
developed are the Orders in the Class
Insecta
Coleoptera (Beetles)
• “sheathed wing”
• They have 4 wings,
the elytra (covering)
and flight wings
Beetle Flight
Diptera (True Flies)
• “Two wings”
• They have 2 wings,
flight wings. The other
ancestral wings have
become halteres for
stabilization during flight
• Common flies,
mosquitoes, and
craneflies
Lepidoptera
• “Scaled wing”
• Butterflies and
Moths
Hemiptera (True Bugs)
• “Half wing”
• Insects having
overlapping wings
forming a triangular
shape in front of the
wings
• Stink bugs, assassin
bugs, water striders,
water boatman,
etc…
Homoptera
• “Same wing”
• Cicadas,
leafhoppers, and
treehoppers
Hymenoptera
• “Membrane wing”
• Ants, Bees, and
Wasps
Orthoptera
• “Straight wing”
• Grasshoppers,
Crickets, and
Katydids
Odonata
• “Toothed”
• Dragonflies and
Damselflies
Neuroptera
• “Nerve wing”
• Lacewings
Scientific or Species Names
• Latin – Universal Language
• Underlined or Italicized
• Binomial (Two names or words)
1) Genus (1st) – general term
2) Species Epithet (2nd) – descriptive
term (physical descriptive, location,
or in honor of scientist)
Descriptive Name
• Melanoplus
femurrubrum
(DeGeer)
Location Name
• Okanagana
canadensis
Named to Honor
• Lycaeides idas
nabokovi
Other Examples
• Homo sapiens (Modern Humans)
“man” “thinking”
• Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy)
“southern ape” “Afar region”
• Haliaeetus leucocephalus
“sea eagle” “white head”