taxon

thumb|270px|African elephants form the [[genus Loxodonta, a widely accepted taxon.]]

In biology, a taxon is a group of one or more populations of an organism, or organisms, as seen by taxonomists to form a biological unit; (taxon: back-formation from taxonomy; : taxa). Although neither is required, a taxon, once its description has become established, is usually known by a particular name and is given a particular ranking.