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In zoological nomenclature, the specific name (also specific epithet, species epithet, or epitheton) is the second part (the second name) within the scientific name of a species (a binomen). The first part of the name of a species is the name of the genus or the generic name.
- Genus Definition
- The Naming System
- Genus vs. Species
- Genus and Family
- Type Concept
- Usage
- Examples
- Subgenus
- References
A genus is a taxonomic category ranking used in biological classification that is below family and above species. Species exhibiting similar characteristics comprise a genus. An estimate of the number of published genus names was at about 510,000 as of 2016. (1)In 2018, the Catalogue of Life quoted 173,363 accepted genus names for both extant and e...
In binomial nomenclature, the genus is used as the first word of a scientific name. The genus name is always capitalized and italicized. For example, the binomial name of the lion is Panthera leo. The first part, Panthera, is the genus name whereas the second part, leo, is the specific epithet. A taxonomist (experts in taxonomy) assigns a scientifi...
A species is regarded as the most basic unit or category in the biological system of classification. To be considered into a species rank, the group must have at least two of its members capable of reproducing fertile offspring (such as by sexual reproduction). Organisms from different species, although they belong under the same genus, generally c...
A taxonomic family is a group of one or more genera. The genera under a particular family share a common attribute. Thus, a family would usually be more inclusive and consists of a greater number of organisms. The genera of a particular family evolve from the same ancestors for having relatively common characteristics. In the taxonomic rank, a fami...
In modern biological classification, the type genusserves as the representative of a taxonomic family. Thus, one or more genera in a family would define the latter. In zoology, the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature provides the fundamental standards. Accordingly, the family-group name would be based upon the type genus. For example, the...
In zoology, a genus may be available or unavailable. The available names are genus names that are published based upon the standards of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), as well as by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. The unavailablenames were those that were not published because of nonconformity to t...
Homo (from Latin that literally means “man”) is a genus of humans that belong to the tribe Hominini of the family Hominidae, order Primates, class Mammalia. The fundamental features of the human species in the genus Homo are bipedalism, opposable thumb, possession of a notochord that is eventually replaced by a vertebral column, live birth, and mam...
Below genus is the taxon subgenus.It is used by taxonomists often due to the following reasons: 1. Highly diverse generic group, especially when the genus has numerous species resulting in substantial variation such as in morphology, behavior, and genetics 2. For indicating evolutionary relationship, especially when within the genus there are disti...
Rees, T., Vandepitte, L., Decock, W., and Vanhoorne, B. (2017). “IRMNG 2006–2016: 10 Years of a Global Taxonomic Database” (PDF). Biodiversity Informatics. 12: 1–44.Catalogue of Life – 2018 Annual Checklist : 2018 Annual Checklist. (2018). Retrieved from Catalogueoflife.org website: http://www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2018/info/acWoRMS – World Register of Marine Species – Physeter Linnaeus, 1758. (2019). Retrieved from Marinespecies.org website: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137032Toth, N. and Schick, K. (2005). “African Origins” in The Human Past: World Prehistory and the Development of Human Societies (Editor: Chris Scarre). London: Thames and Hudson. Page 60.Each name has two parts, the genus and the species. For example, human beings belong to the genus Homo, and our species is sapiens - so the scientific name is Homo sapiens.
When writing the scientific name of an organism the name of the species is written as the second part. The species name is written in italics and lowercase letters. In zoology, a species name is also called a “specific name,” while botanists refer to it as a “specific epithet.”.
The genus name is the first word of a binomial scientific name (the species name is the second word) and is always capitalized. One example of a plant genus containing many species is Rosa, which contains more than 100 species of roses. In contrast, the genus Ginkgo is monotypic, containing only the common ginkgo (also
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The specific name is written in lower-case and may be followed by subspecies names in zoology or a variety of infraspecific names in botany. When the generic name is already known from context, it may be shortened to its initial letter, for example, C. lupus in place of Canis lupus.
Apr 28, 2017 · Genus (plural: genera) is even more specific than family. It is the first part of an organism’s scientific name using binomial nomenclature; the second part is the species name. An organism’s scientific name is always italicized, and the genus name is capitalized while the species name is not.
