Taxonomic Classification Terms

noun a principal taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family, and is denoted by a capitalized Latin name

• The genus Homo includes modern humans and their ancestors.
• I learned about the genus of different animals in biology class.
• That new species belongs to the same genus as the one we saw last week.
• In the genus of music, jazz and blues are closely related.

noun a category in the classification of organisms, ranking below an order and containing one or more families

• In taxonomy, a suborder is a rank below order but above family.
• The suborder of this species is still being debated by scientists.
• I have no idea what suborder this bug belongs to.
• The suborder of priorities in this project needs to be reevaluated.

noun a taxonomic category that is below phylum and above class in biological classification

• The subphylum Chelicerata includes spiders, scorpions, and horseshoe crabs.
• I learned about the subphylum Chelicerata in my biology class.
• Check out these cool creatures in the Chelicerata subphylum!
• Just like different species fall under the subphylum, we all have our own unique characteristics.

noun a taxonomic suffix used in biology to denote a subfamily, superfamily, or other taxonomic rank

• The -acea family of plants includes many species commonly found in tropical regions.
• I love the -acea flowers in our garden, they are so colorful and vibrant.
• Have you seen those -acea plants? They're totally rad!
• The -acea of ideas in her mind grew and blossomed into a beautiful garden of creativity.

noun a taxonomic group of marine organisms including sea anemones and corals

• Actiniomorpha is a class of sea anemones characterized by their radial symmetry.
• I learned about actiniomorpha in my marine biology class.
• Those actiniomorpha creatures are pretty cool to look at.
• The actiniomorpha exhibit a beauty in their symmetry that is mesmerizing.

adjective relating to the aedeagus, the copulatory organ of male insects

• The aedeagal structure in insects is used for transferring sperm during mating.
• I read an interesting article about the aedeagal anatomy of beetles.
• I never knew bugs had a thing called aedeagal, it's kind of weird.
• His aedeagal prowess in the dating scene was unmatched, according to his friends.