Up until quite recently, the animal phylum Placozoa enjoyed a unique position in animal systematics. It was the only phylum to which only a single species had ever been assigned: Trichoplax adhaerens.

Animal systematics and taxonomy constitute the scientific frameworks by which the diversity of animal life is discovered, described and organised. Taxonomy provides the rules and conventions for ...

Taxonomy is the science of classification according to a predetermined system, with the resulting catalog used to provide a conceptual framework for discussion, analysis or information retrieval. The ...

The official body charged with virus classification has released four new principles that bring order to the viral world. This provides a unified framework that will enable all viruses to be ...

Molecular taxonomy has transformed the classification and identification of polychaete worms by integrating DNA sequence data with traditional morphology. By analysing genes such as mitochondrial ...