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Difficulty: HardTaxonomy and Classification

An entomologist compares the biological classifications of three organisms: a honeybee (*Apis mellifera*), a housefly (*Musca domestica*), and a garden spider (*Argiope aurantia*). Based on Linnaean taxonomic hierarchy, which pair of taxonomic ranks correctly identifies the most specific category shared by all three organisms and the most specific category shared only by the honeybee and housefly?

  1. A
    Kingdom for all three organisms; Class for the honeybee and housefly
  2. Phylum for all three organisms; Class for the honeybee and houseflyAnswer
  3. C
    Phylum for all three organisms; Order for the honeybee and housefly
  4. D
    Class for all three organisms; Order for the honeybee and housefly

Answer

Phylum for all three organisms; Class for the honeybee and housefly
The correct response accurately recognizes that the honeybee, housefly, and garden spider all belong to the Phylum Arthropoda. Spiders are arachnids (Class Arachnida), while bees and flies are true insects (Class Insecta). Because bees (Order Hymenoptera) and flies (Order Diptera) diverge into distinct orders, Class Insecta represents the narrowest taxonomic category they share.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the highest shared taxonomic rank for the honeybee, housefly, and spider.
All three are multicellular invertebrates with jointed appendages and an exoskeleton, placing them in Kingdom Animalia and Phylum Arthropoda.
Identifying the shared major biological grouping establishes the base shared categories.
2
Differentiate the organisms at the class level.
Garden spiders belong to Class Arachnida, while honeybees and houseflies belong to Class Insecta.
Because spiders diverge at the class level, Phylum Arthropoda is the most specific category shared by all three organisms.
3
Compare the classifications of the honeybee and housefly below the class level.
Honeybees belong to Order Hymenoptera and houseflies belong to Order Diptera.
Since their orders are different, Class Insecta is the most specific rank shared only by the honeybee and housefly.

Key Concept

Linnaean taxonomic hierarchy and nested rank specificity
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Taxonomy and Classification

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