subfamily
Taxonomic family branch
A subfamily is a subdivision within a larger family.
In biology, it's a taxonomic rank between family and genus—the cat subfamily Felinae includes small cats like cougars and cheetahs.
The term applies similarly to language families: Romance languages form a subfamily of Indo-European.
In any classification system, subfamily indicates a coherent group nested within a broader category.
Taxonomic rank above species
- speciesFinest taxonomic rank
- tribeSocial group sharing ancestry
- subtribeTaxonomic rank below tribe
- suborderTaxonomic grouping below order
order · class · phylum · kingdom · domain · taxon · rank · clade
Formation of distinct species
- evolutionSpecies changing over generations
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- ancestryFamily line of descent
descendants · heritage · adaptation · diversity · morphology · phenotype · genotype · genetics
Division or woody limb
- offshootDerivative outgrowth
- divisionSplitting into parts
- subdivisionPortion of something larger
- subgroupSmaller division within larger
subset · subcategory · segmentation · splitting · divergence · ramification · differentiation · partitioning
genus
Taxonomic rank above species
suborder · order · class · phylum · kingdom · domain · taxon · rank · clade · monophyletic
speciation
Formation of distinct species
- evolutionSpecies changing over generations
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
- lineageDescent from progenitors
ancestry · descendants · heritage · adaptation · diversity · morphology · phenotype · genotype · genetics · ecology
branch
Division or woody limb
- offshootDerivative outgrowth
- divisionSplitting into parts
- subdivisionPortion of something larger
subgroup · subset · subcategory · segmentation · splitting · divergence · ramification · differentiation · partitioning
relatives
Those connected by blood
bloodline · kindred · lineage · branch · descent · household · relations · in-laws · ancestral line
- taxakingdom, species, subspecies, phylum, Rodentia
- insect taxonomyLepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, genus, species
- taxonomygenus, species, taxon, kingdom, phylum
- demographicspopulation density, population growth, age distribution, population, gender ratio
- Censuscensus bureau, census tract, enumeration, enumerator, headcount
- Hymenopterabees, wasps, ants, hornets, sawflies