WP:Automated taxobox system/advanced taxonomy

Documentation for the automated taxobox system

Sometimes, taxonomy is not as simple as we might like, so taxonomy templates need to handle more unusual features and a taxobox needs to contain more information than just ranks and taxon names. Some advanced cases are described here. Do ask at Wikipedia talk:Automated taxobox system if you need more information.

Taxon variants

Sometimes it is desirable to have slightly different taxonomy templates for what is fundamentally the same taxon – "taxon variants". The convention in these cases is to use put "/variant-identifier" after the name of the taxon: for example, Template:Taxonomy/Corallinaceae and Template:Taxonomy/Corallinaceae/stem-group. The "taxon variant" identified by the "/variant-identifier" can pick up most of its data by using the same_as parameter. Thus Template:Taxonomy/Corallinaceae/stem-group has |same_as=Corallinaceae.

Conventional values for "/variant-identifier" include:

• "/stem-group" and "/total-group"; both should be hyphenated. These would have |rank=stem group and |rank=total group respectively. Example – Template:Taxonomy/Chelicerata/stem-group.
• "/skip" – used when it is necessary to skip to a higher level in the taxonomic hierarchy. Example Template:Taxonomy/Avialae/skip; here parent is set to skip Class Reptilia to avoid bird taxonomies showing both this class and Class Aves. See #Skip taxonomy templates.
• "/?" – used when it is not certain that this is the correct taxon. The link text will automatically have " (?)" after the taxon name. Example – Template:Taxonomy/Graptolithina/?. See #Questionable assignments.
• "/displayed" – used when it is appropriate to show an ancestor taxon only for a certain group of its descendant taxa, while picking up all other parameter values from the "plain" taxonomy template for the same taxon. The variant taxon has |always_display=yes while using same_as for all the other parameters.
• "/taxon" – used of necessity for all taxonomy templates with titles like "Template:Taxonomy/Incertae sedis/taxon", since there isn't a single "incertae sedis" taxon. See #Incertae sedis taxonomy templates.

Skip taxonomy templates

A "skip taxonomy template" has the same title as a normal taxonomy template, but with "/skip" added to the end. Internally the skip taxonomy template at "Template:Taxonomy/taxon-name/skip" is coded like this:

{{Don't edit this line {{{machine code|}}}
|same_as = taxon-name
|parent = parent-taxon-name
}}

This says that taxon-name/skip has the same values of rank, extinction status, etc. as taxon-name, except that its parent is parent-taxon-name, which will be higher up the taxonomic hierarchy. (When creating a skip taxonomy template, it can be prefilled if you use the correct page naming convention.)

To use a skip taxonomy template, the taxonomy template at the level below it must have |parent=parent-taxon-name/skip.

See Template:Taxonomy/Ornithurae/skip as an example. Note the ".....     ....." lines in the right-hand table that show where levels have been skipped, and the information at the bottom of the left-hand table.

To link an automatic taxobox to a skip taxonomy template, put |taxon=taxon-name/skip in the taxobox template in the article.

Questionable assignments

Example output
Order:	Radiodonta
Family:	Anomalocarididae (?)
Genus:	Pambdeleurion

In the example, Pambdelurion might belong to the family Anomalocarididae: but this is questionable, so in the taxobox, the family should be shown with "(?)" following it. Template:Taxonomy/Pambdelurion has |parent=Anomalocarididae/?. Then Template:Taxonomy/Anomalocarididae/? uses |same_as=Anomalocaridae to pick up the relevant information.

If a template of the form "Template:Taxonomy/taxon/?" does not yet exist, a link will walk you through how to create it.

Category:Taxonomy templates with query shows taxonomy templates with questionable assignments.

As from January 2017, the minimum content of an /? taxonomy template is of the form:

{{Don't edit this line {{{machine code|}}}
| same_as =
}}

where |same_as= is set to the taxon that is questionable. The "(?)" is added automatically by the automated taxobox system, based on the "/?" in the title of the taxonomy template.

Questionable assignment (two levels)

Example output
Clade:	Polysporangiophyta (?)
Class:	Horneophytopsida (?)
Genus:	Tortilicaulis

In the example, Tortilicaulis probably belongs to the class Horneophytopsida within the clade Polysporangiophyta, but cannot be assigned to either with certainty. To indicate this, Template:Taxonomy/Tortilicaulis has |parent=Horneophytopsida/?/?. Template:Taxonomy/Horneophytopsida/?/? in turn has |parent=Polysporangiophyta/?, making use of Template:Taxonomy/Polysporangiophyta/?.

If a template of the form "Template:Taxonomy/taxon/?/?" does not yet exist, a link will walk you through how to create it.

The minimum content of a /?/? taxonomy template is of the form:

{{Don't edit this line {{{machine code|}}}
| same_as =
| parent = .../?
}}

where |same_as= is set to the taxon that is questionable; its parent in turn is set to the expected parent with "/?" added.

This process can be continued indefinitely. A taxonomy template with N repeats of "/?" at the end of its title should have its parent set to a taxon name followed by N-1 repeats of "/?". (As of January 2017), there is no automated support for creating such templates beyond N = 2.

Incertae sedis taxonomy templates

Example output
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	incertae sedis
Genus:	Skania

In the example, Skania is definitely an arthropod genus, but its relationship to other arthropods – and in particular the class that it should be placed in – is unknown. To use the technical term, it is incertae sedis. Therefore, at Template:Taxonomy/Skania, we set |parent=Incertae sedis/Arthropoda. There must then be Template:Taxonomy/Incertae sedis/Arthropoda.

If a template with a name of the form "Template:Taxonomy/Incertae sedis/taxon" does not yet exist, a link will walk you through how to create it.

(As of January 2017), the minimum content of an incertae sedis taxonomy template is of the form:

{{Don't edit this line {{{machine code|}}}
| parent =
| rank =
}}

(The appropriate value for |link= will be set by default if the 'taxon' name starts with "Incertae sedis".)

Documentation for the automated taxobox system