subspecies

IPA/ˈsʌbspiːʃiːz/
IPA/ˈsʌbspiːʃiːz/

subspecies — noun

  • subspeciessingular
  • subspeciesesplural

1. a group of related living things that belong to a single species but have distin

1.名詞B2
釋義

a group of related living things that belong to a single species but have distinct physical or genetic features that separate them from other members of that species, usually because they live in a different geographic area.

例句

Rin studied a subspecies of monarch butterfly found only on a small Japanese island chain.

subspecies + of + [organism] — geographic restriction

The Himalayan brown bear is a rare subspecies that lives in Central Asian mountain forests.

同義詞
  • variety

    used more for plants and informal contexts; 'subspecies' is the formal scientific rank.

  • race

    older term sometimes used for animal populations; now considered outdated in formal biology.

  • strain

    used for microorganisms and viruses; implies a genetic variant, not a geographic population.

反義詞
  • species

    the broader taxonomic rank; a subspecies is a division within a species.

文法句型

subspecies + of + [organism group]

用法筆記

Scientists typically write the subspecies name after the species name in italics — for example, Panthera leo persica for the Asiatic lion. The same subspecies name is written three times: genus, species, subspecies. Frequently used with a geographic adjective (northern subspecies, island subspecies).

常見錯誤

❌A subspecies is the same as a different species.
✅A subspecies is a subgroup within a single species whose members can still breed with other members of the same species.
💡Members of different subspecies can usually produce fertile young together; members of different species cannot.
❌This is a subspecies of a totally new kind of animal.
✅This is a new subspecies of a known species of frog.
💡A subspecies is always part of an already-known species; it is not a new species itself.