Definition

Noun: - A taxonomic genus of mammals: "genus Blarina" refers to a specific genus within the mammalian order Eulipotyphla, family Soricidae. This genus is characterized by a group of relatively large, short-tailed shrews found in North America.

Usage

• "Genus Blarina" is used in formal, scientific contexts such as biology, zoology, and taxonomy to classify and discuss this particular group of shrews.
• It is typically italicized in academic writing (), following the convention for genus names.

Examples

• Scientific Classification:
  • The short-tailed shrew is classified under the genus Blarina.
  • A study compared the venom of species within genus Blarina to that of other mammals.

Advanced Usage

• In Taxonomic Hierarchy: The name is used to denote a rank above species and below family. For example: Family Soricidae > Genus > Species (the northern short-tailed shrew).
• In Binomial Nomenclature: The genus name forms the first part of a species' two-part scientific name. For instance, .

Variants and Related Words

• Blarina (n): The abbreviated form of the genus name, used interchangeably in scientific discourse.
  • The morphology of Blarina is distinct from other shrew genera.
• Blarina brevicauda (n): The full scientific name for a common species within this genus, the northern short-tailed shrew.
• Blarina carolinensis (n): The scientific name for the southern short-tailed shrew, another species in the genus.

Synonyms

• Short-tailed shrew genus: A descriptive, non-scientific synonym referring to the common characteristic of its member species.

Notes

• There are no idioms or phrasal verbs associated with this specific scientific term. Its usage is confined to technical and academic descriptions in the field of biology.

Noun

1. shrews