The tenth edition of Systema Naturae (1758) was (and is) the most important, because Linnaeus first employed the binomial system of nomenclature in zoology. He classified organisms from broad grouping to narrow groupings: kingdom, class (including the first use of Mammalia), order, genus, and species (first use of Homo sapiens) based on significant figurative traits. Rules were developed that provided consistency. Thus similar organisms were grouped into a genus, and each organism was given a two-word Latin name. For example, the domestic dog is Canis familiaris. Canis is the genus name for the group of animals that includes dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals. The word familiaris acts as a descriptor to further differentiate the domestic dog from its wild cousins. Linnaeus was ennobled in 1761 and took the name Carl von Linné, as shown in this English edition of 1806.
Charles Linnè, A General System of Nature. Vol. I. London: Printed for Lackington, Allen & C
The tenth edition of Systema Naturae (1758) was (and is) the most important, because Linnaeus first employed the binomial system of nomenclature in zoology. He classified organisms from broad grouping to narrow groupings: kingdom, class (including the first use of Mammalia), order, genus, and species (first use of Homo sapiens) based on significant figurative traits. Rules were developed that provided consistency. Thus similar organisms were grouped into a genus, and each organism was given a two-word Latin name. For example, the domestic dog is Canis familiaris. Canis is the genus name for the group of animals that includes dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals. The word familiaris acts as a descriptor to further differentiate the domestic dog from its wild cousins. Linnaeus was ennobled in 1761 and took the name Carl von Linné, as shown in this English edition of 1806.
Charles Linnè, A General System of Nature. Vol. I. London: Printed for Lackington, Allen & C