Incertae sedis facts for kids

The term incertae sedis (say "in-SER-tay SEE-dis") is used in taxonomy. Taxonomy is the science of naming and grouping living things. When scientists use "incertae sedis," it means a group of organisms, called a taxon, has an unknown relationship to other groups. It's like saying, "We're not sure where this one fits yet!"

The first person to use this term in botany (the study of plants) was probably Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu. In his 1789 book, Genera Plantarum, he listed some plants as plantae incertae sedis. This means "plants of uncertain placement."

Why is a Group "Incertae Sedis"?

Scientists might classify a group as incertae sedis for a few reasons:

• Sometimes, the description of a new organism isn't detailed enough. This makes it hard to know exactly where it belongs in the big family tree of life.
• A scientific paper might focus on something else, not on classifying a new species. The authors might label it incertae sedis because they don't want to guess its proper place.
• Different scientists might have different ideas about where a group should be placed. Until they agree, the group might stay as incertae sedis.

Images for kids

The white on this branch of Elderberry is a fungus called Elder Whitewash (Hyphodontia sambuci). It might be placed incertae sedis among the basidiomycetes.

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  New World vultures, like the California condor, were once placed incertae sedis within the class Aves until a new order, Cathartiformes, was recognized.

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  Plumalina plumaria Hall, 1858 (6.3 cm tall) from the Upper Devonian period in western New York State, US. Scientists often call it incertae sedis because its exact group is still debated.

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  The Varanopids are a mysterious family of Tetrapods. Scientists have had different ideas about where they fit. A common way to classify them now is as Amniota incertae sedis.

See also

In Spanish: Incertae sedis para niños