Subspecies (commonly abbreviated subsp. or ssp.) in biological classification, is 1) a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, or 2) a taxonomic unit, a taxon in that rank (plural: subspecies). A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one.
The differences between subspecies are usually less distinct than the differences between species. The charact...
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Subspecies (commonly abbreviated subsp. or ssp.) in biological classification, is 1) a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, or 2) a taxonomic unit, a taxon in that rank (plural: subspecies). A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one.
The differences between subspecies are usually less distinct than the differences between species. The characteristics attributed to subspecies generally have evolved as a result of geographical distribution or isolation.
The scientific name of a subspecies is a trinomen, that is a binomen followed immediately by a subspecific name, e.g. Panthera tigris sumatrae (Sumatran Tiger). The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (4th edition, 1999) accepts only one rank below that of species, namely this rank of subspecies or race. Other groupings, "infrasubspecific entities" (e.g. pet breeds) do not have names regulated by the ICZN. Such forms have...
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