58-482: The Ischnocera is a large superfamily of lice . They are mostly parasitic on birds , but including a large family (the Trichodectidae ) parasitic on mammals . The genus Trichophilopterus is also found on mammals ( lemurs ), but probably belongs to the "avian Ischnocera" and represents a host switch from birds to mammals. It is a chewing louse, which feeds on the feathers and skin debris of birds. Many of
116-492: A BioCode that would regulate all taxon names, but this attempt has so far failed because of firmly entrenched traditions in each community. Consider a particular species, the red fox , Vulpes vulpes : in the context of the Zoological Code , the specific epithet vulpes (small v ) identifies a particular species in the genus Vulpes (capital V ) which comprises all the "true" foxes. Their close relatives are all in
174-420: A "hybrid formula" that specifies the parentage, or may be given a name. For hybrids receiving a hybrid name , the same ranks apply, prefixed with notho (Greek: 'bastard'), with nothogenus as the highest permitted rank. If a different term for the rank was used in an old publication, but the intention is clear, botanical nomenclature specifies certain substitutions: Classifications of five species follow:
232-560: A fast evolutionary radiation that occurred long ago, such as the main taxa of placental mammals . In his landmark publications, such as the Systema Naturae , Carl Linnaeus used a ranking scale limited to kingdom, class, order, genus, species, and one rank below species. Today, the nomenclature is regulated by the nomenclature codes . There are seven main taxonomic ranks: kingdom, phylum or division, class, order, family, genus, and species. In addition, domain (proposed by Carl Woese )
290-638: A lower level may be denoted by adding the prefix " infra ", meaning lower , to the rank. For example, infra order (below suborder) or infra family (below subfamily). Botanical ranks categorize organisms based (often) on their relationships ( monophyly is not required by that clade, which does not even mention this word, nor that of " clade "). They start with Kingdom, then move to Division (or Phylum), Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. Taxa at each rank generally possess shared characteristics and evolutionary history. Understanding these ranks aids in taxonomy and studying biodiversity. There are definitions of
348-412: A more progressive form in the direction of carnivory . Apart from its large size, the red fox is distinguished from other fox species by its ability to adapt quickly to new environments. Despite its name, the species often produces individuals with other colourings, including leucistic and melanistic individuals. Forty-five subspecies are currently recognised, which are divided into two categories:
406-399: A new rank at will, at any time, if they feel this is necessary. In doing so, there are some restrictions, which will vary with the nomenclature code that applies. The following is an artificial synthesis, solely for purposes of demonstration of absolute rank (but see notes), from most general to most specific: Ranks are assigned based on subjective dissimilarity, and do not fully reflect
464-459: A particular organism, it is usually not necessary to specify names at ranks other than these first two, within a set of taxa covered by a given rank-based code. However, this is not true globally because most rank-based codes are independent from each other, so there are many inter-code homonyms (the same name used for different organisms, often for an animal and for a taxon covered by the botanical code). For this reason, attempts were made at creating
522-449: A pest and furbearer for many centuries, as well as being represented in human folklore and mythology. Because of its widespread distribution and large population, the red fox is one of the most important furbearing animals harvested for the fur trade . Too small to pose a threat to humans, it has extensively benefited from the presence of human habitation, and has successfully colonised many suburban and urban areas . Domestication of
580-576: A taxon in a category above the species level). It should be a natural group (that is, non-artificial, non- polyphyletic ), as judged by a biologist, using all the information available to them. Equally ranked higher taxa in different phyla are not necessarily equivalent in terms of time of origin, phenotypic distinctiveness or number of lower-ranking included taxa (e.g., it is incorrect to assume that families of insects are in some way evolutionarily comparable to families of mollusks). Of all criteria that have been advocated to rank taxa, age of origin has been
638-619: Is Eurasian in origin, and may have evolved from either Vulpes alopecoides or the related Chinese V. chikushanensis , both of which lived during the Middle Villafranchian of the Pleistocene Epoch . The earliest fossil specimens of V. vulpes were uncovered in Baranya County , Hungary , dating from 3.4 to 1.8 million years ago. The ancestral red fox was likely more diminutive compared to today's extant foxes, as
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#1732937706609696-564: Is also called a binomial , that is, a two-term name. For example, the zoological name for the human species is Homo sapiens . This is usually italicized in print or underlined when italics are not available. In this case, Homo is the generic name and it is capitalized; sapiens indicates the species and it is not capitalized. While not always used, some species include a subspecific epithet. For instance, modern humans are Homo sapiens sapiens , or H. sapiens sapiens . In zoological nomenclature, higher taxon names are normally not italicized, but
754-413: Is also eaten sometimes. Although the red fox tends to kill smaller predators, including other fox species, it is vulnerable to attack from larger predators, such as wolves , coyotes , golden jackals , large predatory birds such as golden eagles and Eurasian eagle owls , and medium- and large-sized felids . The species has a long history of association with humans, having been extensively hunted as
812-515: Is considered harmful to native small and medium-sized rodents and marsupials . Due to its impact on native species, it is included on the list of the " world's 100 worst invasive species ". The red fox originated in Eurasia during the Middle Pleistocene at least 400,000 years ago and later colonised North America sometime prior to 130,000 years ago. Among the true foxes, the red fox represents
870-499: Is considered to be a more specialised form of Vulpes than the Afghan , corsac and Bengal fox species, in regards to their overall size and adaptation to carnivory ; the skull displays far fewer neotenous traits than in other foxes, and its facial area is more developed. It is, however, not as adapted for a purely carnivorous diet as the Tibetan fox . The sister lineage to the red fox
928-408: Is known; British red foxes have crossbred extensively with red foxes imported from Germany, France, Belgium, Sardinia and possibly Siberia and Scandinavia. However, genetic studies suggest very little differences between red foxes sampled across Europe. Lack of genetic diversity is consistent with the red fox being a highly agile species, with one red fox covering 320 km (200 mi) in under
986-462: Is not a requirement of the zoological and botanical codes. A classification in which all taxa have formal ranks cannot adequately reflect knowledge about phylogeny. Since taxon names are dependent on ranks in rank-based (Linnaean) nomenclature, taxa without ranks cannot be given names. Alternative approaches, such as phylogenetic nomenclature , as implemented under the PhyloCode and supported by
1044-435: Is now widely used as a fundamental rank, although it is not mentioned in any of the nomenclature codes, and is a synonym for dominion ( Latin : dominium ), introduced by Moore in 1974. A taxon is usually assigned a rank when it is given its formal name. The basic ranks are species and genus. When an organism is given a species name it is assigned to a genus, and the genus name is part of the species name. The species name
1102-503: Is simply called "the fox" in colloquial British English. The word "fox" comes from Old English , which derived from Proto-Germanic * fuhsaz . Compare with West Frisian foks , Dutch vos , and German Fuchs . This, in turn, derives from Proto-Indo-European * puḱ- 'thick-haired; tail'. Compare to the Hindi pū̃ch 'tail', Tocharian B päkā 'tail; chowrie', and Lithuanian pūkas 'fur / fluff'. The bushy tail also forms
1160-492: Is the Rüppell's fox , but the two species are surprisingly closely related through mitochondrial DNA markers, with Rüppell's fox nested inside the lineages of red foxes. Such a nesting of one species within another is called paraphyly . Several hypotheses have been suggested to explain this, including (1) recent divergence of Rüppell's fox from a red fox lineage, (2) incomplete lineage sorting , or introgression of mtDNA between
1218-458: Is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora , being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America , Europe and Asia , plus parts of North Africa . It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List . Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been introduced to Australia , where it
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#17329377066091276-402: Is the relative or absolute level of a group of organisms (a taxon ) in a hierarchy that reflects evolutionary relationships. Thus, the most inclusive clades (such as Eukarya and Opisthokonta ) have the highest ranks, whereas the least inclusive ones (such as Homo sapiens or Bufo bufo ) have the lowest ranks. Ranks can be either relative and be denoted by an indented taxonomy in which
1334-442: Is usually associated with a certain body plan , which is also, however, an arbitrary criterion. Enigmatic taxa are taxonomic groups whose broader relationships are unknown or undefined. (See Incertae sedis .) There are several acronyms intended to help memorise the taxonomic hierarchy, such as "King Phillip came over for great spaghetti". (See taxonomy mnemonic .) Red fox The red fox ( Vulpes vulpes )
1392-762: The Botanical Code , the Prokaryotic Code , the Code for Viruses , the draft BioCode and the PhyloCode all recommend italicizing all taxon names (of all ranks). There are rules applying to the following taxonomic ranks in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature : superfamily, family, subfamily, tribe, subtribe, genus, subgenus, species, subspecies. The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature divides names into "family-group names", "genus-group names" and "species-group names". The Code explicitly mentions
1450-474: The International Society for Phylogenetic Nomenclature , or using circumscriptional names , avoid this problem. The theoretical difficulty with superimposing taxonomic ranks over evolutionary trees is manifested as the boundary paradox which may be illustrated by Darwinian evolutionary models. There are no rules for how many species should make a genus, a family, or any other higher taxon (that is,
1508-558: The PhyloCode , the code of phylogenetic nomenclature , does not require absolute ranks. Taxa are hierarchical groups of organisms, and their ranks describes their position in this hierarchy. High-ranking taxa (e.g. those considered to be domains or kingdoms, for instance) include more sub-taxa than low-ranking taxa (e.g. those considered genera, species or subspecies). The rank of these taxa reflects inheritance of traits or molecular features from common ancestors. The name of any species and genus are basic ; which means that to identify
1566-721: The Sacramento Valley red fox ( V. v. patwin ) only in a narrow hybrid zone. In addition, no evidence is seen of interbreeding of eastern American red foxes in California with the montane Sierra Nevada red fox ( V. v. necator ) or other populations in the Intermountain West (between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains to the west). The 3rd edition of Mammal Species of
1624-524: The San Joaquin Valley , Monterey and north-coastal San Francisco Bay Area (including urban San Francisco and adjacent cities). In spite of the red fox's adaptability to city life, they are still found in somewhat greater numbers in the northern portions of California (north of the Bay Area) than in the south, as the wilderness is more alpine and isolated. The eastern red foxes appear to have mixed with
1682-427: The fruit fly familiar in genetics laboratories ( Drosophila melanogaster ), humans ( Homo sapiens ), the peas used by Gregor Mendel in his discovery of genetics ( Pisum sativum ), the "fly agaric" mushroom Amanita muscaria , and the bacterium Escherichia coli . The eight major ranks are given in bold; a selection of minor ranks are given as well. Taxa above the genus level are often given names based on
1740-418: The type genus , with a standard termination. The terminations used in forming these names depend on the kingdom (and sometimes the phylum and class) as set out in the table below. Pronunciations given are the most Anglicized . More Latinate pronunciations are also common, particularly / ɑː / rather than / eɪ / for stressed a . There is an indeterminate number of ranks, as a taxonomist may invent
1798-612: The American Ornithologists' Union published in 1886 states "No one appears to have suspected, in 1842 [when the Strickland code was drafted], that the Linnaean system was not the permanent heritage of science, or that in a few years a theory of evolution was to sap its very foundations, by radically changing men's conceptions of those things to which names were to be furnished." Such ranks are used simply because they are required by
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1856-619: The North American continent in two waves: before and during the Illinoian glaciation , and during the Wisconsinan glaciation . Gene mapping demonstrates that red foxes in North America have been isolated from their Old World counterparts for over 400,000 years, thus raising the possibility that speciation has occurred, and that the previous binomial name of Vulpes fulva may be valid. In
1914-661: The World listed 45 subspecies as valid. In 2010, a distinct 46th subspecies, the Sacramento Valley red fox ( V. v. patwin ), which inhabits the grasslands of the Sacramento Valley, was identified through mitochondrial haplotype studies. Castello (2018) recognized 30 subspecies of the Old World red fox and nine subspecies of the North American red fox as valid. Substantial gene pool mixing between different subspecies
1972-466: The avian Ischnocera have evolved an elongated body shape. This allows them to conceal themselves between the feather shafts and avoid being dislodged during preening or flight. The taxonomy of the group is in need of revision, as several phylogenetic studies have found the group to be paraphyletic , specifically in regards to the two major families Philopteridae and Trichodectidae . In order to resolve this, in 2020 de Moya et al. proposed retaining
2030-502: The basis for the fox's Welsh name, llwynog , literally 'bushy', from llwyn 'bush'. Likewise, Portuguese : raposa from rabo 'tail', Lithuanian uodẽgis from uodegà 'tail', and Ojibwe waagosh from waa , which refers to the up and down "bounce" or flickering of an animal or its tail. The scientific term vulpes derives from the Latin word for fox, and gives the adjectives vulpine and vulpecular . The red fox
2088-477: The earliest red fox fossils have shown a smaller build than living specimens. The earliest fossil remains of the modern species date back to the mid-Pleistocene, found in association with middens and refuse left by early human settlements. This has led to the theory that the red fox was hunted by primitive humans (as both a source of food and pelts); the possibility also exists of red foxes scavenging from middens or butchered animal carcasses. Red foxes colonised
2146-432: The family Canidae , which includes dogs, wolves, jackals, and all foxes; the next higher major taxon, Carnivora (considered an order), includes caniforms (bears, seals, weasels, skunks, raccoons and all those mentioned above), and feliforms (cats, civets, hyenas, mongooses). Carnivorans are one group of the hairy, warm-blooded, nursing members of the class Mammalia , which are classified among animals with notochords in
2204-576: The far north, red fox fossils have been found in Sangamonian Stage deposits near the Fairbanks District, Alaska , and Medicine Hat , Alberta . Fossils dating from the Wisconsinan are present in 25 sites across Arkansas , California , Colorado , Idaho , Missouri , New Mexico , Ohio , Tennessee , Texas , Virginia , and Wyoming . Although they ranged far south during the Wisconsinan,
2262-595: The following ranks for these categories: The rules in the Code apply to the ranks of superfamily to subspecies, and only to some extent to those above the rank of superfamily. Among "genus-group names" and "species-group names" no further ranks are officially allowed, which creates problems when naming taxa in these groups in speciose clades, such as Rana . Zoologists sometimes use additional terms such as species group , species subgroup , species complex and superspecies for convenience as extra, but unofficial, ranks between
2320-461: The following taxonomic categories in the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants : cultivar group , cultivar , grex . The rules in the ICN apply primarily to the ranks of family and below, and only to some extent to those above the rank of family. (See also descriptive botanical name .) Taxa at the rank of genus and above have a botanical name in one part (unitary name); those at
2378-480: The gradational nature of variation within nature. These problems were already identified by Willi Hennig , who advocated dropping them in 1969, and this position gathered support from Graham C. D. Griffiths only a few years later. In fact, these ranks were proposed in a fixist context and the advent of evolution sapped the foundations of this system, as was recognised long ago; the introduction of The Code of Nomenclature and Check-list of North American Birds Adopted by
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2436-434: The hierarchy of taxa (hence, their ranks) does not necessarily reflect the hierarchy of clades . While older approaches to taxonomic classification were phenomenological, forming groups on the basis of similarities in appearance, organic structure and behavior, two important new methods developed in the second half of the 20th century changed drastically taxonomic practice. One is the advent of cladistics , which stemmed from
2494-551: The large northern foxes and the small, basal southern grey desert foxes of Asia and North Africa. Red foxes are usually found in pairs or small groups consisting of families, such as a mated pair and their young, or a male with several females having kinship ties. The young of the mated pair remain with their parents to assist in caring for new kits. The species primarily feeds on small rodents, though it may also target rabbits , squirrels , game birds , reptiles , invertebrates and young ungulates . Fruit and vegetable matter
2552-664: The larger subspecies V. v. alascensis , V. v. abietorum , V. v. regalis , and V. v. rubricosa . The southern (or montane) refugium occurs in the subalpine parklands and alpine meadows of the west, from the Rocky Mountains to the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada ranges, consisting of the smaller subspecies V. v. cascadensis , V. v. macroura , V. v. necator , and V. v. patwin . The latter clade has been separated from all other red fox populations since at least
2610-517: The last glacial maximum, and may possess unique ecological or physiological adaptations. Although European foxes ( V. v. crucigera ) were introduced to portions of the United States in the 1900s, recent genetic investigation indicates an absence of European fox mitochondrial haplotypes in any North American populations. Additionally, introduced eastern North American red foxes have colonised most of inland California, from Southern California to
2668-496: The level of indentation reflects the rank, or absolute, in which various terms, such as species , genus , family , order , class , phylum , kingdom , and domain designate rank. This page emphasizes absolute ranks and the rank-based codes (the Zoological Code , the Botanical Code , the Code for Cultivated Plants , the Prokaryotic Code , and the Code for Viruses ) require them. However, absolute ranks are not required in all nomenclatural systems for taxonomists; for instance,
2726-497: The majority of the species (including Philopteridae) within Ischnocera, and then moving Trichodectidae to its own grouping called Trichodectera . Ischnocera currently consists of the following families: Superfamily (taxonomy) In biology , taxonomic rank (which some authors prefer to call nomenclatural rank because ranking is part of nomenclature rather than taxonomy proper, according to some definitions of these terms)
2784-405: The most basic (or important) is the species, but this opinion is not universally shared. Thus, species are not necessarily more sharply defined than taxa at any other rank, and in fact, given the phenotypic gaps created by extinction, in practice, the reverse is often the case. Ideally, a taxon is intended to represent a clade , that is, the phylogeny of the organisms under discussion, but this
2842-409: The most frequently advocated. Willi Hennig proposed it in 1966, but he concluded in 1969 that this system was unworkable and suggested dropping absolute ranks. However, the idea of ranking taxa using the age of origin (either as the sole criterion, or as one of the main ones) persists under the name of time banding, and is still advocated by several authors. For animals, at least the phylum rank
2900-460: The onset of warm conditions shrank their range toward the north, and they have only recently reclaimed their former North American ranges because of human-induced environmental changes. Genetic testing indicates that two distinct red fox refugia exist in North America, which have been separated since the Wisconsinan. The northern (or boreal) refugium occurs in Alaska and western Canada, and consists of
2958-474: The phylum Chordata , and with them among all animals in the kingdom Animalia . Finally, at the highest rank all of these are grouped together with all other organisms possessing cell nuclei in the domain Eukarya . The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature defines rank as: "The level, for nomenclatural purposes, of a taxon in a taxonomic hierarchy (e.g. all families are for nomenclatural purposes at
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#17329377066093016-455: The rank of species and above (but below genus) have a botanical name in two parts ( binary name ); all taxa below the rank of species have a botanical name in three parts (an infraspecific name ). To indicate the rank of the infraspecific name, a "connecting term" is needed. Thus Poa secunda subsp. juncifolia , where "subsp". is an abbreviation for "subspecies", is the name of a subspecies of Poa secunda . Hybrids can be specified either by
3074-653: The rank-based codes; because of this, some systematists prefer to call them nomenclatural ranks . In most cases, higher taxonomic groupings arise further back in time, simply because the most inclusive taxa necessarily appeared first. Furthermore, the diversity in some major taxa (such as vertebrates and angiosperms ) is better known that that of others (such as fungi , arthropods and nematodes ) not because they are more diverse than other taxa, but because they are more easily sampled and studied than other taxa, or because they attract more interest and funding for research. Of these many ranks, many systematists consider that
3132-495: The red fox is also underway in Russia , and has resulted in the domesticated silver fox . Males are called tods or dogs, females are called vixens, and young are known as cubs or kits. Although the Arctic fox has a small native population in northern Scandinavia, and while the corsac fox 's range extends into European Russia , the red fox is the only fox native to Western Europe, and so
3190-460: The same rank, which lies between superfamily and subfamily)." Note that the discussions on this page generally assume that taxa are clades ( monophyletic groups of organisms), but this is required neither by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature nor by the Botanical Code , and some experts on biological nomenclature do not think that this should be required, and in that case,
3248-481: The subgenus and species levels in taxa with many species, e.g. the genus Drosophila . (Note the potentially confusing use of "species group" as both a category of ranks as well as an unofficial rank itself. For this reason, Alain Dubois has been using the alternative expressions "nominal-series", "family-series", "genus-series" and "species-series" (among others) at least since 2000. ) At higher ranks (family and above)
3306-534: The two species. Based on fossil record evidence, the last scenario seems most likely, which is further supported by the clear ecological and morphological differences between the two species. Arctic fox [REDACTED] Kit fox [REDACTED] Corsac fox [REDACTED] Rüppell's fox [REDACTED] Red fox [REDACTED] Cape fox [REDACTED] Blanford's fox [REDACTED] Fennec fox [REDACTED] Raccoon dog [REDACTED] Bat-eared fox [REDACTED] The species
3364-723: The works of the German entomologist Willi Hennig . Cladistics is a method of classification of life forms according to the proportion of characteristics that they have in common (called synapomorphies ). It is assumed that the higher the proportion of characteristics that two organisms share, the more recently they both came from a common ancestor. The second one is molecular systematics, based on genetic analysis , which can provide much additional data that prove especially useful when few phenotypic characters can resolve relationships, as, for instance, in many viruses , bacteria and archaea , or to resolve relationships between taxa that arose in
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