A subspeciesof a plant or animal is one of the types that a particular species is divided into.
Several other subspecies of gull are found in the region.
subspecies in British English
(ˈsʌbˌspiːʃiːz)
nounWord forms: plural-cies
biology
a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a species: usually occurs because of isolation within a species
Abbreviation: ssp
Derived forms
subspecific (ˌsʌbspɪˈsɪfɪk)
adjective
subspecifically (ˌsubspeˈcifically)
adverb
subspecies in American English
(ˈsʌbˌspiʃiz)
noun
any natural subdivision of a species that exhibits small, but persistent, morphological variations from other subdivisions of the same species living in different geographical regionsor times: the subspecies name is usually the third term (not capitalized) in a trinomial (Ex.: the scientific name for Neanderthal man is Homo sapiens neanderthalensis)
Derived forms
subspecific (ˌsubspeˈcific) (ˌsʌbspəˈsɪfɪk)
adjective
Word origin
ModL: see sub- + species
Examples of 'subspecies' in a sentence
subspecies
By 2001, Loro Parque had accumulated a collection of over 3,000 parrots from more than 300 species or subspecies.
Tony Juniper SPIX'S MACAW: THE RACE TO SAVE THE WORLD'S RAREST BIRD (2002)
There's a Runner subspecies, and they're still kept around.
Niven, Larry & Pournelle, Jerry THE MOAT AROUND MURCHESON'S EYE (2002)