Editing Incertae sedis (section)

{{short description|Term to indicate an uncertain taxonomic position}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
[[File:Gymnogyps californianus us fish 3.jpg|thumb|[[New World vulture]]s, such as the [[California condor]], were placed ''incertae sedis'' within the class [[Aves]] until the recognition of the new order [[Cathartiformes]].]]
[[File:Plumalina plumaria Hall, 1858 (6.3 cm tall) in quartzose siltstone, weathered from the South Wales Member of the lower Perrysburg Formation (Canadaway Group, Upper Devonian) of western New York State, USA. (8473318685).jpg|thumb|upright|''Plumalina plumaria'' Hall, 1858 (6.3 cm tall), [[Upper Devonian]] of western [[New York State]], US. Workers usually assign this organism to the hydrozoans (phylum ''[[Cnidaria]]'', class [[Hydrozoa]]) or the gorgonarians (phylum Cnidaria, class [[Anthozoa]], order Gorgonaria), but it is probably safest to refer to it as {{lang|la|incertae sedis}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jsjgeology.net/Plumalina-plumaria.htm |title=''Plumalina plumaria'' |website=JSJ Geology |access-date=20 January 2021}}</ref>]]
[[File:Varanops BW.jpg|thumb|The [[Varanopidae|varanopids]], a mysterious family of [[tetrapod]]s, had controversial relationships with many other land tetrapods. Paleolontologists have mostly assigned them in the past as [[Eupelycosauria|eupelycosaurian synapsids]]. Others have placed them as [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] [[Neodiapsida|neodiapsids]]. A compromise is to place them as [[Amniota]] {{lang|la|incertae sedis}}.]]
{{langnf|la|'''Incertae sedis'''|of uncertain placement}}<ref name=ICZN>{{cite web |url=http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted-sites/iczn/code/index.jsp?booksection=glossary&nfv=true |title=Glossary |work=[[International Code of Zoological Nomenclature]] |publisher=[[International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature]] |access-date=2011-06-12}}</ref> or '''{{lang|la|problematica}}''' is a term used for a [[taxonomy (biology)|taxonomic]] group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://plants.usda.gov/faq.html |title=Frequently Asked Questions |work=PLANTS database |publisher=[[United States Department of Agriculture]] |access-date=2011-06-12}}</ref> Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa".<ref>{{cite book|last= Allaby|first= M.|date= 1999|title= A Dictionary of Zoology|access-date=2013-01-05|publisher= Oxford University Press |page=704 |url= http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-enigmatictaxon.html}}</ref> In the system of [[open nomenclature]], uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is indicated by {{lang|la|incertae familiae}} (of uncertain family), {{lang|la|incerti subordinis}} (of uncertain suborder), {{lang|la|incerti ordinis}} (of uncertain order) and similar terms.<ref name=Matthews1973>{{cite journal |url=http://palaeontology.palass-pubs.org/pdf/Vol%2016/Pages%20713-719.pdf |author=S. C. Matthews |date=1973 |title=Notes on open nomenclature and synonymy lists |journal=[[Palaeontology (journal)|Palaeontology]] |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=713–719  |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727162339/http://palaeontology.palass-pubs.org/pdf/Vol%2016/Pages%20713-719.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-27 }}</ref>