def remove_empty_ranks(self, tax_list):
        '''
        Removes empty rank prefixes
        
        Parameters
        ----------
        tax_list    : list
            A list of taxonomic ranks.
        Returns
        -------
        A list of taxonomic ranks with empty prefixes removed.
        '''
        new_tax_list = []
        for rank in tax_list:
            if rank not in self.meaningless_taxonomic_names:
                new_tax_list.append(rank)
        return new_tax_list
Removes empty rank prefixes
        
        Parameters
        ----------
        tax_list    : list
            A list of taxonomic ranks.
        Returns
        -------
        A list of taxonomic ranks with empty prefixes removed.