What Type of Species Is It?

http://www.fws.gov/endangered/images/One-Nation,-Many-Species-.jpg

Let's use our imagination. Pretend you are a zoologist and you are on a very important expedition in search for a new species. You have traveled to Africa and you are now walking through the dense forests in search of something new, and suddenly something amazing happens! A random, but intriguing, animal has come out of the forest in plain sight-one you've never seen before. You spend weeks with this animal, studying it, observing, and taking notes. But how can you classify it into a certain species category? Well, this may help you...

If you have studied this new animal for weeks now you probably know if it has any ecological roles or niches, right? If it does, then it should be classified as an ecological species. But what if the animal lives in a population and has the ability to interbreed within that population? Then it would be classified as a biological species. If it's population shows evidence of a specific evolutionary lineage then it would have to be classified as a phylogenetic species. And if it were to not give enough evidence of interbreeding within their poulation it would then need to be classified as a morphological species. With this information, you can now classify this new discovery and make it known to the rest of the world, if you want.

http://www.amnh.org/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/permanent-exhibitions/biodiversity-and-environment-halls/hall-of-biodiversity2/endangered-species/153575-1-eng-US/endangered-species_dynamic_lead_hero_image.jpg

Source: Class Notes: Chapter 14-The Origin of Species