Omar Bennett
The scientific name of an organism is comprised of two parts, which together are known as a binomial name. This system of naming is called binomial nomenclature, which simply means a two-term naming system. The first part of the name is the generic name or genus, which is always capitalised, and the second part is the specific name or species, which is not capitalised. Both parts are written in italics. For example, the scientific name for the common peach is Prunus persica, where Prunus is the genus and persica is the species.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of parts | Two |
| Name of system | Binomial nomenclature |
| Other names | Binomial name, binomen, binominal name, scientific name, Latin name |
| First part | Genus name, generic name |
| First letter | Capitalized |
| Second part | Specific name, specific epithet |
| Second letter | Not capitalized |
| Formatting | Italicized or underlined in handwriting |
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What You'll Learn
- The first part of a binomial name must be unique within its nomenclatural code
- The second part is commonly used in two or more genera but cannot be used more than once within a single genus
- The generic name identifies the genus to which the species belongs
- The specific name distinguishes the species within the genus
- The scientific name is written in italics with the initial letter of the genus name capitalised
The first part of a binomial name must be unique within its nomenclatural code
The scientific name of an organism is a two-part system, also known as binomial nomenclature. The first part of the binomial name is the generic name or genus name, which is always written with an initial capital letter. The generic name identifies the genus to which the species belongs. The second part is the specific name or specific epithet, which distinguishes the species within the genus. This part is not capitalised even when derived from a proper noun. For example, the scientific name for the common peach is Prunus persica. Here, 'Prunus' is the genus, which includes other fruit trees like cherry, plum, almond, and apricot. 'Persica' is the specific epithet, distinguishing the peach from other members of the genus, such as the apricot (Prunus armeniaca) or the almond (Prunus dulcis).
The first part of a binomial name, the generic name, must be unique within its nomenclatural code. This means that while the specific epithet can be used in two or more genera, the generic name cannot be repeated within a single genus. This ensures that each genus has a distinct and unique identifier. The generic name is particularly important as it provides a broad classification of the organism, grouping it with other closely related species.
The generic name is derived from Latin grammatical forms, as are the specific epithets. While Latin is the standard, the names can be based on words from other languages. The use of Latin and standardised nomenclature rules ensures consistency and international understanding in the scientific community. This is especially important when studying or discussing organisms that may have different common names in different regions.
The generic name is always capitalised, with the specific epithet remaining uncapitalised, even when derived from a proper noun such as a person's name. For example, the binomial name of the annual phlox, named after botanist Thomas Drummond, is Phlox drummondii. Here, 'Phlox' is the generic name, and 'drummondii' is the specific epithet. After a species name is introduced in a text, it is common to abbreviate the generic name to its first letter in subsequent mentions, for example, P. drummondii.
The rules of binomial nomenclature are governed by different codes depending on the type of organism. The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) governs the naming of animals, the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICNafp) governs the naming of plants, and the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria (ICNB) governs the naming of bacteria. These codes ensure consistency and uniqueness in scientific naming.
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The second part is commonly used in two or more genera but cannot be used more than once within a single genus
The two parts of a scientific name are the genus and the species. The genus is always capitalised and the species is not. The scientific name is used to name an organism and avoid misunderstandings caused by using the common name. For example, the name "robin" may refer to the European robin or the American robin, or even to several other birds. However, the robins' scientific names—Erithacus rubecula and Turdus migratorius (European robin and American robin, respectively)—clearly identify the species being referenced. The scientific names show that the birds are distinct species and verify that they are not closely related, since each belongs to a different genus.
The genus is the taxonomic rank between family and species. The groups of organisms in a genus share many structural similarities and are very closely related. Members of a genus are more closely related to each other than they are to other genera in the same family. For example, the cat family, Felidae, includes lions, tigers, ocelots, domestic cats, bobcats, and lynx. However, lions and tigers belong to the genus Panthera, ocelots and domestic cats are part of the genus Felis, and lynx and bobcats are in the genus Lynx. The species is the most fundamental unit in taxonomy and ranks at the base of the biological classification hierarchy. Members of the same species share the same evolutionary history and are more closely related to each other than they are to any other organisms, including other members of the same genus.
The second part of a scientific name, the species, is commonly used in two or more genera but cannot be used more than once within a single genus. This is because the species is the most specific part of the scientific name, and it is used to distinguish between different organisms within the same genus. For example, the scientific name for the common peach is Prunus persica. Prunus is the genus, which includes other familiar fruit trees such as the cherry, plum, almond, and apricot. All these trees are very closely related, so they all have Prunus in their binomial names. However, the species name persica distinguishes the peach from other members of the genus, such as the apricot, which is Prunus armeniaca, and the almond, which is Prunus dulcis.
It is important to note that some scientific names have three parts: the genus, the species, and a subspecies. For example, the domestic dog is called Canis lupus familiaris. In this case, Canis is the genus, lupus is the species, and familiaris is the subspecies. This three-part name is still considered a scientific name, even though it has more than two parts.
The generic name identifies the genus to which the species belongs
The scientific name of an organism is used to avoid any misunderstandings caused by the use of common names, which differ across languages. The scientific naming system is called binomial nomenclature, and it involves giving each species a unique name consisting of two parts: the generic name (or the genus) and the specific epithet (or the species). The generic name identifies the genus to which the species belongs, and it is always capitalised. For example, the generic name for the gray wolf is Canis, which is also the generic name for its close relatives. The specific epithet, or the second part of the name, is unique to the species within the genus. So, the gray wolf's specific epithet is lupus, and its full scientific name is Canis lupus.
The generic name is derived from the Latin word 'genus', meaning 'to bear' or 'to give birth to'. The use of the term 'genus' in scientific naming was popularised by Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum. However, the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort is considered the founder of the modern concept of genera.
The generic name must be a Latin singular noun in the nominative case and unique within the purview of each nomenclatural code. It can, however, be repeated between codes. For example, Huia recurvata is an extinct species of plant found in Yunnan, China, while Huia masonii is a species of frog found in Java, Indonesia.
The generic name forms the first part of the scientific name and is combined with the specific epithet to create a unique identifier for the species. This two-part naming system provides succinct, relatively stable, and verifiable names that can be used and understood internationally. It replaced the old system, where species names could be a single word or a whole phrase, making it cumbersome and inconsistent.
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The specific name distinguishes the species within the genus
The scientific naming system, also known as binomial nomenclature, is a way of uniquely naming the diverse organisms of our planet. It was introduced by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, with his work Species Plantarum. This system was established to provide succinct, relatively stable, and verifiable names that could be used and understood internationally. The full name of a species is given as two words: its genus (always capitalized) followed by the specific epithet or specific name (not capitalized). For example, in the name Homo sapiens, Homo is the genus and sapiens is the specific epithet.
The specific name is also treated grammatically as a Latin word. For instance, the name of the genus Muilla is derived by reversing the name Allium. The specific name may also be derived from jokes or puns. For example, the name of a number of species of flies in the genus Pieza includes Pieza pi, Pieza rhea, Pieza kake, and Pieza deresistans.
The specific epithet is also supposed to agree with the gender of the root (where possible). For example, the convict cichlid was originally called Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum. However, when the species was moved to the genus Archocentrus, the specific epithet had to change to nigrofasciatus, and the fish is now called Archocentrus nigrofasciatus.
Some scientific names also incorporate a person's name, a location, or some other combination of letters. For example, Pseudotropheus barlowi is the name for a golden yellow fish found in East Africa; here, barlowi pays homage to George Barlow, a famous ichthyologist.
The scientific name is written in italics with the initial letter of the genus name capitalised
The scientific naming system, also known as binomial nomenclature, is a formal method of naming species of living things. Each name is made up of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms. The first part of the name is the generic name or genus, which is always capitalised, while the second part is the specific name or species, which is not. For example, the scientific name for the common peach is *Prunus persica*, where *Prunus* is the genus and *persica* is the species. The full binomial name must be unique.
The scientific name is written in italics, with the initial letter of the genus name capitalised. For instance, the binomial name of the annual phlox is *Phlox drummondii*. After a species name is introduced in a text, the generic name is often abbreviated to the first letter in subsequent mentions, for example, P. *drummondii*. In scientific works, the authority for a binomial name is typically given, and the year of publication may be specified.
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) governs the naming of animals, while the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICNafp) governs the naming of plants (including cyanobacteria). The International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria (ICNB) governs the naming of bacteria, including Archaea. Virus names are governed by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV).
It is important to note that older sources, particularly botanical works published before the 1950s, used a different convention. If the second part of the name was derived from a proper noun, such as the name of a person or place, it was capitalised. For example, the modern form *Berberis darwinii* was written as *Berberis Darwinii*. A capital was also used when the name was formed by two nouns in apposition, such as *Panthera Leo* or *Centaurea Cyanus*.
Frequently asked questions
The two parts that constitute a scientific name are the genus and the species. The genus is always capitalized, while the species is not. An example of a scientific name is "Prunus persica", where "Prunus" indicates the genus and "persica" indicates the species.
Scientific names have two parts to uniquely name the diverse organisms of our planet and avoid misunderstandings caused when using the common name of organisms.
The first part of a scientific name is the genus name, which is always written with an initial capital letter. It identifies the genus to which the species belongs.
The second part of a scientific name is the specific name or specific epithet, which distinguishes the species within the genus. The first letter of the specific epithet is not capitalized, even when derived from a proper noun.
