Species - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT species /ˈspiʃiz/ /ˈspisiz/ IPA guide

A species is a distinct group of animals or plants that have common characteristics and can breed with each other. Your poodle and your bulldog are the same species, but your hamster and your goldfish are not.

All members of the same species have similar genes and can interbreed and produce offspring. A subspecies is a division of a species, and a genus includes several different species. Biologists use these categories to classify organisms, usually with Latin names like Canis familiaris, or "domestic dog." In Middle English, species meant "a classification in logic," borrowed from the Latin word meaning "kind or appearance," from the root of specere, "to see."

Definitions of species

noun (biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed see moresee less types: show 15 types... hide 15 types... bacteria species a species of bacteria endangered species a species whose numbers are so small that the species is at risk of extinction fish species a species of fish type species (biology) the species that best exemplifies the essential characteristics of the genus to which it belongs Pseudomonas pyocanea a species of aerobic bacteria Aerobacter aerogenes a species of Gram-negative aerobic bacteria that produce gas and acid from sugars and are sometimes involved in the souring of milk Agrobacterium tumefaciens the bacteria that produce crown gall disease in plants Calymmatobacterium granulomatis the species of bacteria that causes granuloma inguinale Francisella tularensis the type species of the genus Francisella and the causal agent of tularemia in humans; can be used as a bioweapon Serratia marcescens the type species of the genus Serratia; a species found in water and soil and milk and foods and insects; can cause infections of the endocardium and blood and wounds and urinary tract and respiratory tract; has been tested as a bioweapon Streptococcus anhemolyticus a species of bacteria Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri, Queensland lungfish an endangered species of lungfish found in rivers in Queensland Australian arowana, Dawson River salmon, Scleropages leichardti, saratoga, spotted barramundi, spotted bonytongue a species of large fish found in Australian rivers Australian bonytongue, Scleropages jardinii, northern barramundi a species of large fish found in Australian rivers Asian seabass, Lates calcarifer, barramundi, giant perch, giant seaperch, white seabass a species of large perch noted for its sporting and eating qualities; lives in marine, estuary, and freshwater habitats type of: taxon, taxonomic category, taxonomic group animal or plant group having natural relations
noun a specific kind of something “a species of molecule” “a species of villainy” see moresee less type of: form, kind, sort, variety a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

Pronunciation US /ˈspiʃiz/ UK /ˈspisiz/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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