Sunday, November 8, 2009

subspecies

— subspecies |ˈsəbˌspē sh ēz; -sēz| noun
(abbr.: subsp. or ssp.)(pl. same)
a taxonomic category that ranks below species, usually a fairly permanent geographically isolated race. Subspecies are designated by a Latin trinomial, e.g., (in botany) Hibiscus arnottianus ssp. immaculatus.

DERIVATIVES: subspecific |ˈˌsəbspəˈsifik| |ˈˈsəbspəˈsɪfɪk| |-spəˈsɪfɪk| adjective.