There are several types of species recognized, including:
- Species, which are groups of similar organisms capable of reproduction;
- Semi-species, which are transitional between species and subspecies and have some but not all species attributes;
- Allopatric species, which are related species with non-overlapping geographical ranges, such as the Indian and African lions.
1. TYPESOFSPECIES
Various types of species are recognised, of which the followings are:
Species:
A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuas
which are capable of reproduction.
Semi-species
The border line species b/w species and subspecies that have
acquired some attributes but not all the attributes of the specie
rang.
Noor Zada, M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat
2. Allopatric species
The two or more related species that have disjunct geographical ranges
are called allopatric species. Examples of such species are Indian lion
(Panthera leo persica) and African lion (Panthera leo leo).
Holotype
A single type specimen upon which the description and name of the new
species as best.
Noor Zada, M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat
3. Microspecies:
Those species in which variations are very less are called Joardan's species.
They reproduce asexually so they have very less variations.
Sibling species or Cryptic species:
Members of species which are morphologically similar but reproductively
isolated are known as Sibling species i.e. they cannot interbreed among
themselves.
Sibling species is one taxonomic species (because these members have similar
morphology) but they are different biological species. [Because they cannot
interbreed]
Noor Zada, M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat
4. PARAPATRIC SPECIES:
These are the species which have the geographical ranges
with a very narrow region of overlap. Example of this type is
the flightless Australian grasshoppers, Moraba scurra and M.
viatica.
Noor Zada, M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat
5. SIBLING SPECIES:
Two or more than two closely related species which are mor-
phologically alike but behaviourally or reproductively isolated
from each other. Examples are Drosophila persimilis and D.
pseudoobscura. The mosquito Anopheles maculipennis
complex consists of several subspecies, of which a few are
vector of malaria and the rest are harmless.
Noor Zada, M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat
6. MONOTYPIC SPECIES:
When a genus includes a single species but does not include
any subspecies, e.g., Vampyroteuthis, a vampire squid which
is a single monotypic genus and also contains a single species,
V. infernalis (monotypic species). Blackwelder (1967) states
that the species with a single subspecies, called monotypic
species.
Noor Zada, M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat
7. POLYTYPIC SPECIES:
When a species contains two or more subspecies, it is called
polytypic species. Examples are tiger, Panthera tigris which
has several subspecies; such as—(i) Indian tiger, Panthera
tigris tigris, (ii) the Chinese tiger, P. t. amoyensis, (iii) the
Siberian tiger, P. t. altaica, (iv) the Javan tiger, P. t. sondaica.
Noor Zada, M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat
8. ENDEMIC SPECIES:
The species which are found in a particular region,
called endemic species. Usually the species of oceanic
islands which are found in a limited geographic area
are called endemic species.
Noor Zada, M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat
9. TRANSIENT SPECIES:
Species among contemporaneous organisms, fossil or recent,
called transient species (Imbrie, 1957). Blackwelder (1967)
has defined that the species are the ones existing
contemporaneously, as a cross section of the lineages of
evolutionary species.
Noor Zada, M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat
10. Microspecies:
According to Grant (1981) Microspecies is the population
of predominantly uniparental plant groups which are
themselves uniform or slightly uniform and are
differentiated morphologically from one another. These
species are restricted to a limited geographical area.
Noor Zada, M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat
11. Subspecies:
“A population of several biotypes forming a more
or less distinct regional facies of a species”. It is
thus a geographical race, ecotype, topodeme or
genoecodeme.
Noor Zada, M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat
12. Exotic Species:
A specie introduced into a new area from a
different geographical area
Monotype species:
Those species having no sub-species.
Noor Zada, M.Sc Zoology, KUST, Kohat