Definition of "taxon" [tax•on]

• Biology A taxonomic category or group, such as a phylum, order, family, genus, or species. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The new taxon is named Gamerabaena, and the authors note, under etymology, "'Gamera refers to the fictional, firebreathing turtle from the 1965 movie Gamera, in allusion to his fire-breathing capabilities and the Hell Creek Formation ...""
• "Just came across this article on an anigmatic new taxon from the Ediacaran, reporting the discovery of the eight-armed organism Eoandromeda octobrachiata from China and Australia."
• "An example of natural turning on of a complex latent program in a lower taxon is discussed."