1. A taxonomic class of organisms uniquely distinguished from other classes by shared characteristics and usu. by an inability to interbreed with members of other classes.
endangered species. A species in danger of becoming extinct; esp., under federal law, a species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant part of its range. • Federal law excludes from the definition a species of the class Insecta if the Environmental Protection Agency determines that it constitutes a pest whose protection would present a significant risk to the human population. 50 CFR § 81. [Cases: Environmental Law 528.]
threatened species. A species that, within the foreseeable future, is likely to become an endangered species throughout all or a significant part of its range. 16 USCA § 1532(20). [Cases: Environmental Law 528.]
2. A specific class or kind of thing within a larger, general class. • For example, tort refers to a general class or genus. Slander refers to a specific kind of tort. Cf. GENUS.
3. Patents. An element, usu. one of several mutually exclusive alternatives, that may be used in an invention to achieve a desired result. • Species may be structures, steps, parts, compounds, and so on.
ultimate species. A species that has been fully and narrowly defined. • For example, a species may be defined generally as “magnetic metals, including iron and steel,” or particularly, such as “sodium chloride.”
