Rogue Taxon
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ROGUE TAXON. Quercus agrifolia, Coast live oak.
Rains Houses, from Bowdoin Street facing Willis Lounge.
In the mathematical usage of Cueto & Matsen (2011), a rogue taxon is a taxon whose inclusion in a phylogenetic analysis disrupts the placement of other taxa. In more informal applications, a rogue taxon is a taxon of uncertain position in the inferred phylogenetic tree—or a taxon whose pendant edge travels off in an unexpected direction.
Photo: Noah Rosenberg, March 05, 2018