Which of the following pairs is mismatched in the context of biological taxonomy?

• A. Homo sapiens - Species
• B. Felis catus - Species
• C. Canis lupus - Genus
• D. Panthera leo - Species

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of biological taxonomy, which is the science of naming, defining, and classifying organisms into groups based on shared characteristics.
2. Recognize the hierarchical structure of biological classification, which includes levels such as Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.
3. Identify that in the context of taxonomy, 'Genus' is a rank above 'Species'. Each species is part of a genus, and the genus name is the first part of the binomial nomenclature.
4. Examine each pair: 'Homo sapiens', 'Felis catus', and 'Panthera leo' are all correctly matched with 'Species' as they represent the species name in their respective binomial nomenclature.
5. Note that 'Canis lupus' is mismatched with 'Genus' because 'Canis' is the genus and 'lupus' is the species, making 'Canis lupus' the full species name, not just the genus.