superorder
Above order, below
Superorder is a taxonomic rank in biological classification, grouping related orders together.
It falls between class and order in the hierarchy—broader than an order but narrower than a class.
Mammals, for instance, belong to superorders like Euarchontoglires (which includes primates and rodents) or Laurasiatheria (carnivores, bats, whales).
The term appears mainly in technical biological literature.
Science of categorical arrangement
- systematicsScience of classifying organisms
- cladisticsClassification by common descent
- phylogeneticsScience of ancestral relationships
- taxaClassification categories
taxon · hierarchy · rank · domain · kingdom · phylum · class · family
Hair-bearing, milk-producing animals
- fishGilled aquatic vertebrate
- birdsEgg-laying flying vertebrates
- reptilesCold-blooded scaly vertebrates
- insectsSix-legged arthropods
arthropods · vertebrates · invertebrates · organisms · clades · lineages · evolution · phylogeny
taxonomy
Science of categorical arrangement
- systematicsScience of classifying organisms
- cladisticsClassification by common descent
- phylogeneticsScience of ancestral relationships
taxa · taxon · hierarchy · rank · domain · kingdom · phylum · class · family · genus
mammals
Hair-bearing, milk-producing animals
- fishGilled aquatic vertebrate
- birdsEgg-laying flying vertebrates
- reptilesCold-blooded scaly vertebrates
insects · arthropods · vertebrates · invertebrates · organisms · clades · lineages · evolution · phylogeny · ancestry