Kingdom (biology)

In biology, kingdom (Latin: regnum, pl. regna) is a taxonomic rank, which is either the highest rank or in the more recent three-domain system, the rank belowdomain. Kingdoms are divided into smaller groups called phyla (in zoology) or divisions in botany.

Currently, textbooks from the United States use a system of six kingdoms (Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, Archaea, and Bacteria) while British, Australian and Latin American textbooks may describe five kingdoms (Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protoctista, and Prokaryota or Monera). Some recent classifications have explicitly abandoned the term "kingdom", noting that the traditional kingdoms are not monophyletic, i.e. do not consist of all the descendants of a common ancestor.