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Cirrus Genus
Three types of clouds exist in the cirrus genus. Cirrus clouds are detached clouds that form filaments, threads or mostly white patches in narrow bands. Their hairlike appearance leads people to refer to them as mare's tails. Cirrocumulus clouds appear as thin white patches, sheets or layers of clouds with no shadows. They're made up of grains, ripples, tiny cloudlets that are merged, separate or more or less arranged in a somewhat regular pattern. Cirrostratus clouds are transparent, veil-like and fibrous. They may totally or partially cover the sky. If they cover the sun or moon they can cause a halo around the object.
Species: Nebulosus to Castellatus
The genus is further separated into species. Nebulosus is a cloud like a thin veil or layer with no distinct features. This can be seen in cirrostratus clouds. Stratiformis is a very wide-ranging, horizontal sheet, or layer of cloud. This can be seen with cirrocumulus clouds. Floccus are small tufts of clouds, ragged on the bottom. They're often seen with virga, or precipitation that evaporates before it touches the ground. This can be a species of cirrocumulus or cirrus cloud. Castellatus reminds the viewer of the turrets in a castle. The turrets are connected by a common base sometimes arranged in lines. This species of cloud can belong to cirrocumulus or cirrus clouds.
Species: Lenticularis to Uncinus
Lenticularis is a lens-shaped cloud that can belong to the cirrocumulus genus. Fibratus is a nearly straight or slightly curved species that can belong to cirrus and cirrostratus. Spissatus species clouds are dense enough to appear gray near the sun and belong to the cirrus genus. The uncinus species of cloud are comma or hook-shaped, and not round. They belong to the cirrus genus.
Varieties
Species are further divided into varieties. A cirrus cloud also can be of the intortus cloud variety when it's irregularly curved and tangled. The vertebrates cloud looks like ribs or fishbones and also can be a cirrus cloud. Undulates are patches or rolls or billows of clouds and can be cirrocumulus or cirrostratus clouds. Radiatus clouds appear in broad parallel bands that appear to converge in the distance. They can be cirrus clouds. The lacunosus variety are thin clouds with regularly spaced holes, and can be cirrocumulus clouds. Duplicatus clouds, which can be cirrus and cirrostratus clouds, are more than one layer of cloud at different levels. Cirrus and cirrocumulus clouds also can show the mammatus features, which look like punts hanging from the bottom of what's usually a thunderhead. Mammatus happen when cold moist air hits rising drier and warmer air. They're a harbinger of precipitation.