Tribe (taxonomy)

In biology, a tribe is a way to group living things. It is a middle-sized group. It is bigger than a genus but smaller than a family or subfamily. Tribes can sometimes be split into even smaller groups called subtribes.

In animal studies, or zoology, tribes have names that end in "-ini". For example, the tribe Caprini includes goat-antelopes. The tribe Hominini includes humans and their close relatives. Some tribes, like Hominini, are divided into subtribes, such as Hominina, which includes humans.

In plant studies, or botany, tribes have names that end in "-eae". Examples are the tribes Acalypheae and Hyacintheae. The tribe Hyacintheae has subtribes like Massoniinae. In plants, subtribes end in "-inae".

For bacteria, tribe names follow the same pattern as in plants. An example is Pseudomonadeae, which is based on the name of the genus Pseudomonas.

Rank recognition

In biology, special endings in names can help us know what group a living thing belongs to. If an animal name ends with -ini, it is a tribe. If it ends with -ina, it is a subtribe. Some endings like -eae can be used for many groups, not just tribes. So, scientists must study the name to decide the right group.