Definify.com

Definition 2024


species_name

species name

English

Noun

species name (plural species names)

  1. (taxonomy) A scientific name at the rank of species, with two terms: the generic name (or generic epithet, the genus of the species) and the specific name (a term used only in zoology, never in botany, for the second part of a binomial) or the specific epithet (the term always used in botany, which can also be used in zoology).

Usage notes

The scientific name of a species is typeset in italics, the genus name (alone) having an inital capital letter (the specific epithet is not capitalized); for example the scientific name of the lion is Panthera leo.

Synonyms

Translations