Ichthyological terms, not general ones.
Most popular concept of species in vertebrate zoology. Defines species as members of populations that do or potentially could interbreed and produce fertile offspring in nature, regardless of appearance, therefore somewhat more restrictive than the phylogenetic species concept. In theory species are thus separated from one another by some form of reproductive isolation, though in practice this does not always hold true. Often abbreviated to BSC.
Species concept based on the evolutionary relationships among organisms, specifically using common ancestry and shared evolutionary history to define species. Under this concept a species is essentially the smallest group of organisms that share a common ancestor and can be distinguished from other such groups via phylogenetic analyses. Each such grouping constitutes a distinct branch on an evolutionary tree. Subspecies tend not to be recognised and it is generally less restrictive than the biological species concept. Often abbreviated to PSC.
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Taxonomic rank into which a genus is divided, but otherwise difficult to delineate precisely with a single definition satisfying all eventualities still lacking to date. There exist a number of concepts of which the most popular in vertebrate taxonomy include the biological species concept and phylogenetic species concept.
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