subspecies

American  

[suhb-spee-sheez, suhb-spee-] / ˈsʌbˌspi ʃiz, sʌbˈspi- /

noun

plural

subspecies

1. a subdivision of a species, specie, species, especially a geographical or ecological subdivision.

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subspecies British  

/ ˈsʌbˌspiːʃiːz, ˌsʌbspɪˈsɪfɪk /

noun

1.  ssp.  biology a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a species: usually occurs because of isolation within a species

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subspecies Scientific  

/ sŭb′spē′shēz,-sēz /

1. A subdivision of a species of organisms, usually based on geographic distribution. The subspecies name is written in lowercase italics following the species name. For example, Gorilla gorilla gorilla is the western lowland gorilla, and Gorilla gorilla graueri is the eastern lowland gorilla.

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Other Word Forms

• subspecific adjective
• subspecifically adverb

Etymology

Origin of subspecies

First recorded in 1690–1700; sub- + species

Example Sentences

By examining differences between subspecies within the same bacterial species, researchers can begin to uncover how gut microbes influence a wide range of health conditions.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

Researchers selected 23 hybrid tortoises with the closest genetic links to the extinct subspecies and began breeding them in captivity on Santa Cruz island.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

The Fongoli apes are members of the critically endangered subspecies of West African chimpanzees.

From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026

One is when the hefty cats are threatening Sierra Nevada bighorn, one of two subspecies of the sheep that live in the Golden State.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

That is, cattle were domesticated independently in India and western Eurasia, within the last 10,000 years, starting with wild Indian and western Eurasian cattle subspecies that had diverged hundreds of thousands of years earlier.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond