Taxonomy

Table of Contents

tree_of_life.svg

Figure 1: Tree of Life

The first classification of life was devised by a Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus. He grouped lives using the similar features, which now called the phenetics or taximetrics. Later the cladistic approach became dominant, which studies the phylogeny, the genetic relations. The traditional division are all absorbed into the framework of clades, monophylectic groups.

The highest classification of life is still up to debate.

Three domains of life are generally acknowledged:

Eukaryota is the domain of the eukaryotes. By the recent study, the eukaryota is likely descended from the Archaea.

1. Eukaryota (Domain)

진핵생물역

The name comes from Greek ευ 'true' and καρυον 'kernel'.

The domain is largely subdivided into three kingdoms:

The Fungi and Animalia are considered to share a common ancestry.

2. Animalia (Kingdom)

동물계

The kingdom Animalia mainly consists of the clade Bilateria 좌우대칭동물. Bilateria is in turn subdivided into two superphylum:

The protostomes develop their mouth first, and deuterostomes develop their anus first during the embryonic stage.

2.1. Protostomia (Superphylum)

The name comese from Greek πρωτο 'first' and στόμα 'mouth'.

It includes phylums such as:

  • Arthropoda 절지동물문,
  • Mollusca 연체동물문.

2.2. Deuterostomia (Superphylum)

The phylum Chordata 척삭동물문 is the largest phylum within it.

2.3. Invertebrates (Paraphyletic)

The invertebrates are a paraphyletic grouping within the kingdom Animalia that does not includes the part of the branch, namely the subphylum Vertebrata.

3. Arthropoda (Phylum)

It includes many classes such as:

  • Insecta 곤충강,
  • Arachnida 거미강.

4. Chordata (Phylum)

The subphylum Vertebrata 척추동물아문 is the largest among them.

4.1. Vertebrata (Subphylum)

4.1.1. Gnathostomata (Infraphylum)

From Ancient Greek γνάθος 'jaw' and στόμα 'mouth'.

The infraphylum is also called the jawed vertebrates. It accounts for 99% of all extant vertebrates.

4.1.1.1. Osteichthyes (Clade)

The clade Osteichthyes 경골어상강, or commonly bony fish, within this infraphylum consists of two extant groups:

This clade was traditionally a class, but later repositioned to contain two classes.

4.1.2. Pisces (Paraphyletic)

Traditionally this was a single class of fish, but it is now considered to be a paraphyletic group within Vertebrata excluding the Tetrapoda.

5. Actinopterygii (Class)

From Ancient Greek ἀκτίς 'having rays' and πτέρυξ 'wing, fins'.

Commonly known as ray-finned fish. This class contains most fish, which accounts for 50% of all known vertebrates.

They use gills to breathe and their lung is repurposed as swim bladder.

6. Sarcopterygii (Clade)

From Ancient Greek σάρξ 'flesh' and πτέρυξ 'wing, fins'.

Commonly known as lobe-finned fish. This clade was traditionally a class, but later it turned out that reptiles, birds, and mammals are all branched out from this class.

They use lungs to breathe, and they have large chunck of bone in their fins.

This clade branched out to the clade Tetrapoda.

7. Tetrapoda (Clade)

From Ancient Greek τετρα 'four' and πούς 'foot'.

It includes:

7.1. Amniota (Clade)

From Greek ἀμνίον 'bowl that catches the blood of sacrificed animals', from ἀμνός 'lamb'.

All non-amphibian tetrapods are amniotes. They have three extraembryonic membranes: amnion, chorion, allantois.

It is divided into two clades:

7.1.1. Synapsida (Clade)

Bridge Faces, due to the bony arch in their skull.

It is mostly consists of the Mammalia 포유강.

7.1.2. Sauropsida (Clade)

Lizard Faces.

It is broadly equivalent to the Reptilia 파충강.

8. Amphibia (Class)

It contains the orders such as:

  • Anura 개구리목 또는 무미목

9. Reptilia (Class)

Chordata (Phylum) > > … > Tetrapoda (Clade) > … > .

It contains the orders such as:

  • Squamata 뱀목 혹은 유린목,
  • Crocodilia 악어목.

The clade Dinosauria is also part of this class, which later branches out into the class Aves.

9.1. Dinosauria (Clade)

Clades

  • Ornithischia 조반류
  • Saurischia 용반류

9.1.1. Ornithischia (Clade)

From Greek ὀρνιθ 'bird' and ἴσχιον 'hip'.

9.1.2. Saurischia (Clade)

From Greek σαῦρος 'lizard' and ἴσχιον 'hip'.

Class

10. Aves (Class)

Reptilia (Class) > Dinosauria (Clade) > Saurischia (Clade) > .

Aves are still considered as a class even though it is part of the class Reptilia, due to the tradition tracing back to the Linnaeus.

The birds began to thrive after the K-T extinction.

It contains the orders such as:

11. Passeriformes (Order)

It contains the families such as:

  • Passeridae 참새과,
  • Corvidae 까마귀과.

12. Mammalia (Class)

From Latin mamma 'breast'.

They have small earbones for enhanced auditory ability, and secondary palate for enhanced olfactory ability. They are homeotherms along with the Aves, and they have mammary glands.

It is subdivided into two groups:

12.1. Theria (Subclass)

From Ancient Greek θηρίον 'wild beast'.

It includes two infraclasses:

  • Marsupialia 유대류
  • Placentalia 유태반류

12.1.1. Marsupialia (Infraclass)

The young are born in a undeveloped state and nurtured within a pouch.

Kangaroos, koalas, possums belong to it.

12.1.2. Placentalia (Infraclass)

The mothers norishes their fetus via placenta, and carry them in the uterus to a relatively late stage.

This contains the vast majority of the mammals.

The two extant magnorders are:

12.1.2.1. Atlantogenata (Magnorder)

They evolved in Gondwana, the middle continent of the splitted Pangea.

Elephants, armadilos, slothes belong here.

12.2. Monotremata (Order)

From Greek μονός 'single' and τρῆμα 'hole'.

They lay eggs.

13. Boreoeutheria (Magnorder)

From Ancient Greek Βορέας 'north wind' and εὐ 'good, true' and θηρίον 'beast'.

They evolved in Laurasia, the northern continent of the splitted Pangea.

It contains two superorders:

  • Euarchontoglires 영장상목
  • Laurasiatheria 로라시아상목

13.1. Laurasiatheria (Superorder)

Carnivora, hoofed animals hedgehogs, and bats belong here.

13.1.1. Euungulata (Mirorder)

It contains two extant orders:

13.2. Euarchontoglires (Superorder)

13.2.1. Euarchonta (Grandorder)

영장동물

From Greek euarchonta 'true rulers'

The Primates belongs here.

13.2.2. Glires (Grandorder)

설치동물

Latin glires 'dormice'.

It includes the orders such as:

14. Artiodactyla (Order)

From Ancient Greek ἄρτιος 'even' and δάκτυλος 'finger, toe'.

Also known as Cetartiodactyla 경우제목, since it also contains Cetacea.

14.1. Ruminantia (Suborder)

반추아목

14.1.1. Pecora (Infraorder)

From Latin pecus 'cattle'.

It includes families such as:

  • Bovidae 소과
  • Cervidae 사슴과

14.2. Suina (Suborder)

  • Suidae 멧돼지과

14.3. Whippomorpha (Suborder)

14.3.1. Hippopotamidae (Family)

The hippos

14.3.2. Cetacea (Infraorder)

From Latin cetus 'whale', from Ancient Greek κῆτος 'huge fish, sea monster'.

15. Perissodactyla (Order)

From Ancient Greek περισσός 'odd' and δάκτυλος 'finger, toe'.

16. Carnivora (Order)

  • 식육목

It is divided into two subclasses.

16.1. Caniformia (Suborder)

It includes families such as:

  • Canidae 개과
  • Ursidae 곰과

16.2. Feliformia (Suborder)

It includes:

  • Felidae

17. Felidae (Family)

고양이과

  • Felis Catus

18. Lagomorpha (Order)

  • 토끼목

From Ancient Greek λαγώς 'hare' and μορφή 'form'.

19. Rodentia (Order)

쥐목 또는 설치목

20. Primates (Order)

영장목

It includes the families such as:

  • Tarsiidae
  • Lamuridae
  • Cercopithecidae
  • Hominidae

21. Hominidae (Family)

The genera are

  • Homo,
  • Pan.

22. Plantae (Kingdom)

식물계

Division is used for the plants instead of phylum.

Plantae is divided into two clades:

  • Bryophyta
  • Tracheophyta

22.1. Bryophyta sensu lato

Commonly known as non-vascular plants. Mosses and liverworts belongs here.

22.2. Tracheophyta (Clade)

From Greek τραχεῖα ἀρτηρία 'windpipe' and φυτά 'plants'. Commonly refered to as vascular plants.

They have xylem in the middle of the trunck that carries up the water and mineral, and phloem in the outer region that carries suger around.

22.2.1. Spermatophyta (Superdivision)

Also known as phanerogam or phaenogam. Commonly, seed plant.

Clades

22.2.2. Pteridophyta (Paraphyletic)

It is commonly treated as a division, that contains ferns and horsetails.

23. Gymnospermae (Clade)

Plantae (Kingdom) > > > .

겉씨식물

From Greek γυμνός 'naked' and σπέρμα 'seed'.

Classes

24. Pinopsida (Class)

Gymnospermae (Clade) > .

구과식물강, 침엽수

Orders

25. Pinales (Order)

Pinopsida (Class) > .

Families

  • Cupressaceae
  • Pinaceae

26. Angiospermae (Division)

Plantae (Kingdom) > > > .

속씨식물

From Greek ἀγγεῖον 'container, vessel' and σπέρμα 'seed'. Commonly, flowering plant.

The flowers can be either male or female on separate plants, but most of the angiosperms have flowers that contains both male part, stamen and female part carpels.

The classification of angiosperms is supervised by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) which publishes the APG systems.

26.1. Monocots (Clade)

외떡잎식물, 단자엽식물 Single Cotyledon.

Orders

26.2. Eudicots (Clade)

진정쌍떡잎식물, 진정쌍자엽군 True Dicotyledons.

This clade contains 75% of all angiosperms.

They are mostly split into two clades:

The order Caryophyllales is grouped together with Asterids under the clade Superasterids.

There are also independent families:

26.3. Magnoliids (Clade)

These are some of the oldest angiosperms.

It includes the orders such as:

  • Magnoliales
  • Laurales
  • Piperales

27. Asparagales (Order)

It contains the families such as:

  • Amaryllidaceae
  • Iridaceae
  • Orchidaceae

28. Poales (Order)

Rice, corn, wheat, pineapples belong here.

29. Liliales (Order)

백합목

Families:

  • Liliaceae

30. Liliaceae (Family)

백합과

Genera:

  • Lilium

31. Caryophyllales (Order)

Eudicots (Clade) > .

Cacti, carnations, beets, spinach belong here.

Families

32. Cactaceae (Family)

32.1. Cactoideae (Subfamily)

32.1.1. Epiphyllum (Genus)

33. Nelumbonaceae (Family)

Lotus

34. Ranunculaceae (Family)

Poppies and buttercups

35. Rosids (Clade)

장미군

35.1. Fabids (Clade)

It contains the orders such as:

  • Rosales,
  • Fabales,
  • Fagales 참나무목.

35.2. Malvids (Clade)

It includes the orders such as:

  • Malvales 아욱목
  • Sapindales 무환자나무목

36. Rosales (Order)

장미목

It contains families such as:

37. Rosaceae (Family)

The included genera are:

  • Rosa 장미속
  • Malus 사과나무속
  • Prunus 벚나무속
  • Spiraea 조팝나무속
  • Rubus
  • Pyrus 배나무속

37.1. Rosa (Genus)

37.2. Malus (Genus)

37.3. Prunus (Genus)

37.4. Spiraea (Genus)

37.5. Rubus (Genus)

37.6. Pyrus (Genus)

38. Fabales (Order)

콩목

Families:

  • Fabaceae

39. Fabaceae (Family)

콩과

Genera:

  • Cercis 박태기나무속

40. Asterids (Clade)

국화군

Orders:

  • Ericales

40.1. Lamiids (Clade)

It includes the orders such as:

40.2. Campanulids (Clade)

It includes the orders such as:

41. Ericales (Order)

진달래목

Families:

  • Ericaceae

42. Ericaceae (Family)

진달래과

Genera:

  • Rhododendron 진달래속

43. Lamiales (Order)

꿀풀목 Lavender, sesame, mint, basil, oregano, thyme belong here.

Included families are:

44. Lamiaceae (Family)

꿀풀과

Genera:

  • Lamium 광대수염속

45. Oleaceae (Family)

Olive Family, or Lilac Family 물푸레나무과

Genera:

  • Forsythia 개나리속
  • Syringa 수수꽃다리속
    • Lilac

46. Solanales (Order)

가지목

It includes the families such as:

47. Solanaceae (Family)

가지과 Potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers belong here.

48. Convolvulaceae (Family)

메꽃과 Commonly called bindweeds or morning glory.

Genera:

  • Calystegia 메꽃속

49. Asterales (Order)

국화목

It includes the families such as:

  • Asteraceae

50. Asteraceae (Family)

국화과

Genera:

  • Helianthus
    • Sunflower
  • Petasites
    • Petasites Japonicus butterbur, fuki, 머위

51. Fungi (Kingdom)

균계

52. References

Author: Jeemin Kim

Created: 2026-07-12 Sun 14:28