It has been known for 50 years that the time period over which data are collected affects the shape of empirical species abundance distributions. However, despite a recent resurgence of interest in characterizing and explaining these patterns the temporal component of species abundance distributions has been largely ignored. I argue that it is essential to take account of time, and not only because sampling duration can have a profound influence on the perceived shape of the distribution. Partitions of species abundance distributions based on temporal occurrence in the record will facilitate tests of both biological and neutral models and may lead to a better understanding of rarity. These temporal partitions also have interesting, but as yet barely explored, parallels with spatial ones such as the core-satellite division. Moreover, changes in abundance distributions across all three of Preston's temporal scales (sampling time, ecological time and evolutionary time) present rich opportunities for ecological research.