Genus
"Genera" redirects here. For the operating system, see Genera (operating system). For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). The hierarchy of biological classification's eight major taxonomic ranks. A family contains one or more genera. Intermediate minor rankings are not shown. A genus ( / ˈ dʒ iː n ə s / , pl. genera / ˈ dʒ ɛ n ər ə / ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, as well as viruses, [1] in biology. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. E.g. Felis catus and Felis silvestris are two species within the genus Felis . Felis is a genus within the family Felidae. The composition of a genus is determined by a taxonomist. The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce differe...