Everything about Specific Epithet totally explained
In zoological nomenclature, a
specific name or
specific epithet is the second part (second name) in the name of a
species (a
binomen). The first part is the name of the
genus.
Note that in
botanical nomenclature, "epithet"
always refers to the specific name, whereas in zoological nomenclature, without qualifiers ("generic"/"specific") it can refer to either part of the binomen.
» Example: The scientific name for man is
Homo sapiens, which is the species name, consisting of two names:
Homo is the "
generic name" (the name of the genus) and
sapiens the "specific name".
Grammar
Grammatically, a binomen (and trinomen) must be treated as a Latin phrase, which gives some justification to the popular usage of the phrase "Latin name" for the more correct "scientific name". Grammatically (in Latin grammar), the specific name can be:
- A noun in apposition with the genus: Panthera leo. The words don't necessarily agree in gender.
- A noun in the genitive.
- An adjective, agreeing in case and gender with the genus: Felis silvestris ("the forest cat")
The same applies to a subspecific name. In zoological nomenclature, a
subspecies will have a
trinomen, consisting of three names: the third part is the "
subspecific name".
Further Information
Get more info on 'Specific Epithet'.
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