Curriculum Materials

Taxonomy: What's in a Name?

Database Activity

Plants and animals have more than just a genus and species epithet name; they are also classified into five other groups. Each group becomes more general as it moves away from the genus species name. The categories from general to specific are as follows: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species epithet.

Here is the classification for a live oak tree:

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Fagales

Family: Fagaceae

Genus: Quercus

Species epithet: virginiana

The name we use to refer to this tree is Quercus virginiana.

Directions:

Click on "Search Museum and Library Records"
Use the museum Ichthyology (fish) database to look up the common name for each fish in the chart.
Fill in the genus and species epithet boxes to complete the classification of the fish in the chart.
Think about the fish that share similar classification groups. Pick two that are similar and describe a feature that you know they share in common.

Go to www.enature.com to find more information about and pictures of the fish in the chart.