Unterfamilie

Unterfamilie, in biology, is a rank of the taxonomic hierarchy. It sits below the family (Familie) and above the tribe (Stamm) in zoology, and generally below the family and above the tribe in botany as well. The rank is used to group together related genera that share distinctive evolutionary features. The term is commonly rendered in English as subfamily.

In zoological nomenclature, subfamilies are named with the suffix -inae; in botanical nomenclature, the corresponding rank uses the suffix -oideae (for example, subfamily Faboideae).

Well-known subfamilies include Homininae within Hominidae, Caninae within Canidae, and Solanoideae within Solanaceae. In botany, examples include Faboideae, Caesalpinioideae, and Mimosoideae within Fabaceae. These groups reflect relationships suggested by morphology and molecular data and help organize diversity into evolutionary lineages.

Subfamilies are typically divided into tribes and further into genera and species. They are especially useful in large and diverse families, where more precise resolution of relationships is required. Not all families employ a formal subfamily level; some classifications omit it or adjust boundaries based on phylogenetic evidence. In modern taxonomy, the exact circumscription of a subfamily can vary as new data reshapes our understanding of evolutionary relationships.