Re: seeking clarification on the cladism debate

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/17/01 3:22:26 PM EST, david.marjanovic@gmx.at writes:

<< Of course that doesn't change the argument. The species *Trichoplax
 adhaerens* had to get a _subkingdom_ of its very own, Phagocytellozoa, a
 phylum, Placozoa, and I forgot the class and order names. (I haven't seen
 the family in use but that must be Trichoplacidae.) All those synonymous
 names for nothing! >>

Well, not quite for nothing. When a species is given its own higher Linnaean 
taxa, this usually indicates that it has a long independent lineage within 
the group it is classified in, something that is often useful to know and not 
entirely obvious if it simply appears in a cladogram or cladistic taxonomy as 
a sister group to all the other clades in the group.

Also, those monospecific higher taxa may in time acquire more occupants.