In biological taxonomy , the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name.
4-464: Carcharhinus is the type genus of the family Carcharhinidae, the requiem sharks . One of 12 genera in its family, it contains over half of the species therein. It contains 35 extant and eight extinct species to date, with likely more species yet to be described. Type species Type genus According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature , "The name-bearing type of
8-404: A nominal family-group taxon is a nominal genus called the 'type genus'; the family-group name is based upon that of the type genus." Any family-group name must have a type genus (and any genus-group name must have a type species , but any species-group name may, but need not, have one or more type specimens). The type genus for a family-group name is also the genus that provided the stem to which
12-422: A taxon above genus, up to and including order, is the legitimate name of the included genus on whose name the name of the relevant taxon is based. One taxon of each category must include the type genus. The names of the taxa which include the type genus must be formed by the addition of the appropriate suffix to the stem of the name of the type genus[…]." In 2019, it was proposed that all ranks above genus should use
16-555: Was added the ending -idae (for families). In botanical nomenclature , the phrase "type genus" is used, unofficially, as a term of convenience. In the ICN this phrase has no status. The code uses type specimens for ranks up to family, and types are optional for higher ranks. The Code does not refer to the genus containing that type as a "type genus". The 2008 Revision of the Bacteriological Code states, "The nomenclatural type […] of
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