biological classification In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon), and these groups are give ...

, a ''species inquirenda'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of doubtful identity requiring further investigation. The use of the term in English-language biological literature dates back to at least the early nineteenth century. The term ''taxon inquirendum'' is broader in meaning and refers to an incompletely defined

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

of which the taxonomic validity is uncertain or disputed by different experts or is impossible to identify the taxon. Further characterization is required. Certain species names may be designated unplaced names, which ''

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

'' defines as "names that cannot be accepted, nor can they be put into synonymy". Unplaced names may be names which were not validly published, later homonyms which are therefore illegitimate, or species which cannot be accepted because the genus name is not accepted. Species names may remain unplaced if there is no accepted species in a genus in which it can be placed, or if the type material for the species is not known to exist, is insufficient to establish a clear identity, or has not been studied by experts in the group in order to properly place it.About the World Checklist of Vascular plants: Unplaced names
''

''. Retrieved 9 October 2023. Nomenclatural instability refers to the phenomenon where there is disagreement or lack of consensus regarding the naming of a species, which can lead to multiple proposed names for the same species. Synonymy: when different names are proposed for the same species, they become

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

, which can complicate classification and identification.

References

Latin biological phrases Species Unplaced names {{biology-stub

See also

References