User blog:SilverTiger12/A Review of Dracoform Taxonomy

Note: This page is a work in process and is in no way, shape, or form complete or finalized. Significant changes may be made as new information comes to light.

The dragons and their kindred species are among the most innately magical and biologically complex creatures of the Material plane, but their reclusiveness and, in the case of many species, rarity, has prevented any major taxonomic work on the group. This article seeks to rectify that by examining the internal taxonomic relations of the dragonkind. Undead dragons are not treated here, as they are by their nature not independent species at all but non-living things created from the bodies of other species. This article also relies more on environmental, magical, and otherwise biological similarities and affinities than on any supposed lines of evolutionary descent for its organization.


 * See Hall 1983 ("Landragons" in Dragon #74) for early commentary on the taxonomic distance between Reptilia and Dracoformes. He notes that dragons form an isolated group that is only distantly related to reptiles, but only considers there to be two genera, Draco and Drogas.

Systemic Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Dracoformes

Dracoformes is the class that encompasses all true dragons and a number of other, related species. Physiological characteristics apparently include warm-bloodedness (probably homeothermic), scaly skin, and oviparity, among others.

Internal Systematics
Order: Dracomorpha - the true dragons.
 * Family: Draconidae - the classical dragons
 * Subfamily: Chrominae - the chromatic dragons
 * Species included - red dragon, blue dragon, black dragon, brown dragon, gray dragon, green dragon, orange dragon, purple dragon, pink dragon, rainbow dragon, salt dragon, yellow dragon, white dragon
 * Subfamily: Metallinae - the metallic dragons
 * Tribe: Metallini
 * Species included - gold dragon, silver dragon, brass dragon, bronze dragon, copper dragon, song dragon, steel dragon, electrum dragon, mithril dragon, mercury dragon, orium dragon
 * Tribe: Ferrini - the ferrous dragons
 * Ferrodraco ferrotyran, the iron dragon
 * Ferrodraco tyrancaeruleum, the cobalt dragon
 * Ferrodraco ferrovindex, the tungesten dragon
 * Ferrodraco lucetglacies, the chrome dragon
 * Ferrodraco tenacitus, the nickel dragon
 * Subfamily: Geminae - the gem dragons
 * Genus: Psigeminus
 * Psigeminus aleithilos, the amethyst dragon
 * Psigeminus smargadus, the emerald dragon
 * Psigeminus hrodelus, the crystal dragon
 * Psigeminus charismos, the sapphire dragon
 * Psigeminus tithonnas, the topaz dragon
 * Psigeminus seradessus, the obsidian dragon
 * Psigeminus seismos, the beljuril dragon
 * Genus: Semigeminus
 * Semigeminus rarus, the jacinth dragon
 * Semigeminus jadus, the jade dragon
 * Semigeminus lunethros, the moonstone dragon
 * Semigeminus clarainimicus, the pearl dragon
 * Semigeminus silvectri, the amber dragon
 * Incertae sedis sp., the ruby dragon
 * Family: Karadraconidae - the lung dragons. It must be noted that the yu lung is not a separate species, but instead the common word for the larval form of the different lung species.
 * Genus: Orienlung
 * Orienlung pan, the pan lung
 * Orienlung shen, the shen lung
 * Orienlung tien, the t'ien lung
 * Orienlung chiang, the chiang lung
 * Orienlung tunmi, the tun mi lung
 * Genus: Orienryo
 * Orienryo wang, the lung wang
 * Genus: Orientatsu
 * Orientatsu li, the li lung
 * Family: Xenodraconidae - the planar dragons
 * Subfamily: Potamidrakinae
 * Genus: Memorumbros
 * Memorumbros memorumbros, the Styx dragon
 * Genus: Potamidracos
 * Potamidracos potamidraco, the Oceanus dragon
 * Subfamily: Benedraconinae, the Upper planar dragons
 * Species included: battle dragon, arboreal dragon, beast dragon, radiant dragon, adamantine dragon, Elysian dragon
 * Subfamily: Malodraconinae, the Lower planar dragons
 * Species included: deathmask dragon, pyroclastic dragon, rust dragon, Tarterian dragon, gloom dragon, hellfire wyrm, howling dragon, chole dragon
 * Subfamily: Xaodraconinae
 * Genus: Xaodracos
 * Xaodracos karanos, the chaos dragon
 * Subfamily: Rimdraconinae
 * Genus: Rimdraco
 * Rimdraco concordance, the concordant dragon
 * Subfamily: ??
 * Axial dragon
 * Subfamily: Spectodraconinae
 * Genus: Spectus
 * Spectus ethertempus, the ethereal dragon
 * Genus: ??, the astral dragon
 * Subfamily: Umbradraconinae
 * Species included: Shadow dragon + Blight dragon (1 genus)
 * Subfamily: ??
 * Species included: Mirage dragon + Wretch dragon (2 genera)
 * Subfamily: ??
 * Ectoplasmic dragon
 * Family: Potendraconidae
 * Subfamily: Potendraconinae - the epic dragons
 * Genus: Potentata
 * Potentata prismata, the prismatic dragon
 * Potentata diamanta, the force dragon
 * Genus: Tempora
 * Tempora tempora, the time dragon
 * Subfamily: Arcanadracinae - the arcane dragons
 * Genus: Arcanadraco
 * Arcanadraco libro, the tome dragon
 * Genus: Malecarminus
 * Malecarminus vindicto, the hex dragon
 * Family: Phlogisdraconidae - the spelljamming dragons
 * Species included - radiant dragon, sun dragon, moon dragon, stellar dragon
 * Family: Dzalmidae
 * Genus: Dzalmaus
 * Dzalmaus dzalmus, the dzalmus
 * Dzalmaus gornychus, the gorynych
 * Family: Rattelyridae
 * Genus: Rattelyrus
 * Rattelyrus rattelyr, the rattelyr dragon
 * Family: Drogasidae, the landragons
 * Genus: Drogas
 * Drogas amagia, the arack
 * Drogas radiatas, the scintillating landragon
 * Drogas retinosis, the night landragon
 * Family: Tempesdraconidae - the catastrophic dragons
 * Genus: Catastrophis
 * Catastrophis athuamis, the avalanche dragon
 * Catastrophis umborasis, the blizzard dragon
 * Catastrophis balcothis, the earthquake dragon
 * Catastrophis yancbinis, the tornado dragon
 * Catastrophis solkaris, the typhoon dragon
 * Catastrophis imixis, the wildfire dragon
 * Catastrophis vezzuvis, the volcanic dragon

Order: Pseudodracomorpha - the false dragons. Includes dragonets, wyverns, wyrms, and drakes.
 * Family: Microdraconidae - the dragonets
 * Subfamily: Dragonetidae - the "true" dragonets
 * Clade: mole dragon + geyser dragon
 * Clade: draken
 * Clade: crow's-nest dragon + pavilion dragon + faerie dragon + pseudodragon + minidragon+ firedrake
 * Subfamily: Microdrakidae - the familiar or "lesser" drakes
 * Genus: Microdrakus
 * Microdrakus crystallus, the crystal drake
 * Microdrakus tribulatus, the demon drake
 * Microdrakus variablus, the faerie drake
 * Microdrakus caecus, the shadow drake
 * Family: Pseudodraconidae
 * Subfamily: Macropseudodraconinae
 * Genus: Wyverus
 * Wyverus wyverus, the wyvern
 * Wyverus feramagus, the velroc
 * Subfamily: Micropseudodraconinae
 * Tribe: Olordurgarnini - quite possibly a family of its own, as Pseudodraconidae has historically been a wastebasket-taxon.
 * Genus: Olordurgarna, the landwyrms
 * Olordurgarna thordena, the desert landwyrm
 * Olordurgarna vudda, the forest landwyrm
 * Olordurgarna tora, the hill landwyrm
 * Olordurgarna vuddara, the jungle landwyrm
 * Olordurgarna morndina, the mountain landwyrm
 * Olordurgarna tyna, the plains landwyrm
 * Olordurgarna lurgha, the swamp landwyrm
 * Olordurgarna kurita, the tundra landwyrm
 * Olordurgarna cauraka, the underdark landwyrm
 * Genus: Araudurgarna
 * Araudurgarna erkurita, the glacierdrak
 * Tribe: Drakini
 * Genus: Drakus
 * Drakus sp.,...liondrake, vulture drake, storm drake, stone drake, others
 * Clade: mind drake
 * Clade: space drake
 * Clade: ambush drake, rage drake, rock wyrm
 * Clade: portal drake, scalamagdrion
 * Clade: vishap, hatori
 * Tribe: Kosjdarastrixini, the elemental drakes
 * Genus: Kosjdarastixis - the elemental drakes. Note that the black firedrake has been proposed as the species K. insithryllaxis, but the continuance of this population as a species has been questioned.
 * Kosjdarastixis thraeis, the air drake
 * Kosjdarastixis ixenis, the fire drake
 * Kosjdarastixis kosjaussiris, the ice drake
 * Kosjdarastixis edarixenis, the magma drake
 * Kosjdarastixis mrithixenis, the smoke drake
 * Genus: Vhiraustratis
 * Vhiraustratis edaris, the earth drake
 * Vhiraustratis ghenthesjingis, the ooze drake
 * Vhiraustratis hesjingis, the water drake,
 * Tribe: felldrakes
 * Tribe: greater drakes (~10 species)


 * Family: Maredraconidae
 * Genus: Maredranguis
 * Maredranguis armoris, the dragon eel
 * Maredranguis zakharis, the sea wyrm
 * Family: Luxcaelidae
 * Genus: Luxcaelo
 * Luxcaelo caecafulgor, the sunwyrm

Order: Dracohemos - the dragonblooded (kobolds, dragonspawn, and dragonborn)
 * Family: Microdraconiformidae
 * Genus: Koboldia
 * Koboldia koboldia, the common kobold
 * Koboldia urdia, the urd
 * Genus: Dracohomo
 * Dracohomo arymalo, the dragonkin
 * Genus: Abeiria
 * Abeiria strixiki, the dragonborn
 * Family: Kalladrakidae
 * Genus: Kalladrakia
 * Kalladrakia amistella, the dracon
 * Kalladrakia drakkotha, the drakkoth or dracotaur
 * Family: Dinodraconiformidae - dragonspawn

Order: Chelodracos - the dragon turtles
 * Family: Chelodracidae
 * Genus: Chelodraco
 * Chelodraco chelodraco, the dragon turtle
 * Chelodraco testudo, the dragon tortoise

Order: Linnormorpha - the linnorms
 * Family: Linnormae
 * Genus:
 * Species included - flame linnorm, frost linnorm, forest linnorm, land linnorm, corpse tearer, rain linnorm, gray linnorm
 * Genus:
 * Species included - sea linnorm
 * Genus:
 * Species included - dread linnorm
 * Genus: Linnorumbros
 * Linnorumbros stygia Stygian linnorm

Side notes:
 * The greaters drakes, elemental drakes, and felldrakes all form monophyletic clades within themselves, but probably not with each other or even with other drakes. The word "drake", in fact, seems to be more of a catch-all term for anything small and draconic.
 * The cobra dragon is, at this time, believed to be a false dragon: a reptile of perhaps serpentine affilition, rather than a dracoform. It is suspected that various other dragons and dragonkin are also "merely" large, dangerous reptiles (or in at least one case, an avian).