General term for something that differs from the usual type; can refer to a biological variant, a different version of something, or an unusual example.
Biological taxonomy term for a rank below subspecies; used in scientific contexts.
この変種は高山地帯にのみ分布している。
This variety is distributed only in alpine regions.
This plant is a variant that differs slightly from the common species.
彼の作品は伝統的なスタイルの変種と言える。
His work can be called a variation of the traditional style.
変種 refers to a mutated variety or strain that results from change, while 変異 is the broader term for the process or state of mutation itself.
変種 refers to a variant or mutation of an existing species, while 新種 refers to a species that is entirely new to science.
Compound of 変 (hen, 'change, strange') and 種 (shu, 'kind, species'). The term is a straightforward Sino-Japanese coinage for 'variant kind'.