taxonomista

A taxonomist, or taxonomista in Spanish and Portuguese, is a scientist who studies taxonomy—the science of naming, describing, and classifying organisms and other formal groups. In biology, taxonomy encompasses identifying specimens, assigning names according to nomenclatural rules, and arranging species and higher taxa into a hierarchical system such as kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Taxonomists may also work on broader organizational schemes and track changes through revisions and monographs.

The word taxonomy derives from Greek taxis and nomos; the modern discipline took shape with Carl Linnaeus’s system of binomial nomenclature in the 18th century, which established standardized names for living things and a framework for classification. Since then, taxonomy has evolved to incorporate phylogenetics, cladistics, and integrative approaches that combine morphological, genetic, and ecological data.

Taxonomists examine specimens in museums, collect field data, compare characters, and consult type specimens. They use molecular data (DNA sequencing), morphological analysis, and computational methods to propose taxonomic revisions and describe new species. Names are governed by codes such as the ICZN for animals and the ICN for plants, fungi, and algae, which set rules for naming and publication.

Taxonomic work supports biodiversity inventories, conservation planning, invasive species control, agriculture, and medicine. Taxonomists maintain databases, checklists, and reference works, and they may work in universities, natural history museums, government agencies, or private research institutions.

The field faces the taxonomic impediment, with many species undescribed and a shortage of specialists in some groups. Training typically includes undergraduate biology, followed by graduate study in taxonomy, systematics, or a related field, involving fieldwork, museum research, and publishing revisions.