At least for plants, it is very clear that the abbreviation is “subsp.” per Art 5 of the ICN 5A.1. For purposes of standardization, the following abbreviations are recommended: cl. (class), ord. (order), fam. (family), tr. (tribe), gen. (genus), sect. (section), ser. (series), sp. (species), var. …

[image] kevinfaccenda: However my google scholar links above objectively demonstrate that biologists who are actually naming subspecies are using the abbreviation “subsp.” much more. I’m a coauthor on a very recent paper in which we describe a new mammal subspecies. (Despite rumors to the con…

I also personally think that in the specific iNat context the spp. / ssp. distinction/confusion isn’t especially relevant anyways, as the abbreviation is used exclusively in contexts where spp. wouldn’t make sense, and spp. isn’t used elsewhere on the site as far as I know.

[image] sedgequeen: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: You assume that botanists use these terms consistently. In theory, subspecies live in different areas and varieties have overlapping range but different habitats. In fact, many botanists use only subspecies and an American minority with consid…

The final sentences yes, but I do not understand that logic for “you would never have a subspecies unless you already have a variety”.

[image] keirmorse: Logic would dictate that you would never have a subspecies unless you already have a variety I disagree. However, I agree with the rest of what you said.

[image] vladimir_fuka: The final sentences yes, but I do not understand that logic for “you would never have a subspecies unless you already have a variety”. Genus subgenus Species subspecies Variety subvariety Form The “sub” ranks are to put between the other ranks when you need an ex…

That makes sense, I think. Inconsistancy seems normal. One of my fave Vars locally is “Three fingered - Five finger” Five finger seems to be “everywhere-ish” in NZ https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?subview=map&taxon_id=342892 but three finger is only everywhereish in the South Island https…

I agree with all the disagreements and clarifications above. And just to be thorough, I hereby disagree with myself. This topic recapitulates over 150 years of frequently contentious nomenclatural debate and we’re not going to be able to resolve it here. It’s instructive to look back at how Darwi…

impressive that this thread, made entirely to make a single specific recommendation about how to display a rank marker, is more or less devolving into an infraspecies edition of one of the endless “let’s talk about nomenclature/evolution/philosophy-of-science” forum threads. it’s (mostly) great to t…

[image] mftasp: the abbreviation spp. […] is too easy to confuse with ssp. Except that they are spelled differently. :thinking:

Subspecies "ssp." abbreviation is incorrect

General

vbjanos May 23, 2025, 8:29am 46

Let’s wait until all codes agree and revisit in 2030.

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Subspecies "ssp." abbreviation is incorrect

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