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subgenus

American  
[suhb-jee-nuhs] / sʌbˈdʒi nəs /

noun

Anthropology, Biology.
subgenera, plural subgenuses plural
  1. a category of related species within a genus.


subgenus British  
/ ˌsʌbdʒəˈnɛrɪk, sʌbˈdʒiːnəs, -ˌdʒɛn-, -ˈdʒɛn-, ˈsʌbˌdʒiːnəs /

noun

  1. biology a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a genus but of higher rank than a species

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of subgenus

From New Latin, dating back to 1805–15; see origin at sub-, genus

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The Huaxi Green Pitviper is now the 58th known species in the Trimeresurus genus and only the second from its subgenus recorded in Sichuan Province.

From Science Daily Apr. 22, 2026

Where did the virus acquire the furin cleavage site, since no other viruses in the sarbecovirus subgenus, to which its closest relatives belong, have this feature?

From Washington Post Oct. 11, 2021

S. trowbridgii, the S. arcticus group, the S. saussurei group, S. merriami, S. fumeus, and S. dispar, should be included in the subgenus Sorex.

From Speciation of the Wandering Shrew by Findley, James S.

The baculum of M. quasiater is the largest and has the best developed base and median process of the three American species of the subgenus Pitymys.

From The Baculum in Microtine Rodents by Anderson, Sydney

CAMELLIA, a genus or subgenus of evergreen trees or shrubs belonging to the natural order Ternstroemiaceae, with thick dark shining leaves and handsome white or rose-coloured flowers.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 1 "Calhoun" to "Camoens" by Various

In addition to those mentioned above other BL subgenera include rom-coms, crime dramas, sci-fi, office romance and even horror.

From Salon Oct. 1, 2023

However, the two have been considered distinct enough at times that they’ve been given their own subgenera.

From Scientific American Feb. 26, 2014

The authors discovered that in many ways the morphology and anatomy of this fossilized Equisetum is indistinguishable from those of species living today in two subgenera, and Hippochaete.

From US News May 6, 2011

The number of Agaricini, for instance, is large, and amongst the twenty-eight subgenera into which the genus Agaricus is divided, eight only are unrepresented.

From Fungi: Their Nature and Uses by Cooke, M. C. (Mordecai Cubitt)

Even Potts's monograph I have been unable to follow without divergence, for it seems to me necessary to recognize several genera and subgenera that he ignored.

From Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa by Annandale, Nelson

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