Data for: Increasing information content and diagnosability in family-level classifications

Higher-level classifications often must account for monotypic taxa representing depauperate evolutionary lineages and lacking synapomorphies of their better-known, well-defined sister clades. In a ranked (Linnean) or unranked (phylogenetic) classification system, discovering such a depauperate taxon does not necessarily invalidate the rank classification of sister clades. Named higher taxa must be monophyletic to be phylogenetically valid. Ranked taxa above the species level should also maximize information content, diagnosability, and utility (e.g., in biodiversity conservation). In spider classification, families are the highest rank that is systematically catalogued, and incertae sedis is not allowed. Consequently, it is important that family-level taxa be well defined and informative. We revisit the classification problem of Orbipurae, an unranked suprafamilial clade containing the spider families Nephilidae, Phonognathidae, and Araneidae sensu stricto. We argue that, to maximize di..., , ,

高阶分类单元的界定往往需要纳入单型类群（monotypic taxa）——这类类群多为演化支系物种贫乏的类群，且不具备其广为人知、定义明确的姊妹支群（sister clades）所拥有的共源性状（synapomorphies）。无论是分级（林奈式，Linnean）分类系统，还是无分级（系统发育式，phylogenetic）分类系统，发现这类演化支系贫乏的类群，均不会必然否定姊妹支群的等级分类地位。命名的高阶分类单元若要具备系统发育有效性，必须为单系群（monophyletic）。物种级别以上的分级分类单元，还应最大化其信息含量、可鉴别性（diagnosability）与应用价值（例如在生物多样性保护领域）。在蜘蛛分类学中，科是被系统性编目的最高分类阶元，且不允许使用地位未定（incertae sedis）这一分类处理方式。因此，科级分类单元的明确界定与信息价值至关重要。本研究重新审视了圆蛛支群（Orbipurae）的分类问题——该无分级的超科支群包含络新妇科（Nephilidae）、叶蛛科（Phonognathidae）以及狭义园蛛科（Araneidae sensu stricto）。我们主张，为最大化……