Subgenus

In biology, a subgenus is a taxon at a rank directly below genus. See rank (botany) and rank (zoology).

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In zoology, the subgeneric name is generally shown in brackets, placed between the genus and species name. It can even be the same as the generic name, e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea (Cypraea) tigris Linnaeus, which belongs to the subgenus Cypraea of the genus Cypraea.

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Unlike the generic and specific names, it is not mandatory, when describing a species, to include the subgeneric name.

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Note also that a name included in brackets is also sometimes used to indicate differences of taxonomic opinion, e.g. the Northern Gannet Sula (Morus) bassana means that some people treat the species in the genus Sula, while others split it off into a separate genus Morus.

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Genus: :...

Rank (botany): In botanical nomenclature, a taxon is usually assigned to a rank in a hierarchy. According to Art 3.1 of the ICBN the most important ranks of taxa are: kingdom, division or phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. According to Art 4.1 the secondary ranks of taxa are tribe, section, series, ...

Rank (zoology): In zoology, a taxon is usually assigned to a rank in a hierarchy. The ICZN divides names in "family-group names", "genus group-names" and "species-group names". The ICZN explicitly mentions:...