Rules on Names and Naming

 

Latinized scientific names ending in -iformes are always orders.

Latinized scientific names ending in -oidei are always suborders.

Latinized scientific names ending in -idae are always families.

Latinized scientific names ending in -inae are always subfamilies.

Latinized scientific names ending in -ini are always tribes.

 

Names of species are always binomial, that is, they consist of two, and only two, Latinized words, a generic name that is always capitalized and a specific name that is never capitalized, for example, Linophryne quinqueramosus.

 

Names of subspecies are always trinomial, that is, they consist of three, and only three, Latinized words, a generic name that is always capitalized, a specific name that is never capitalized, and a subspecific name that is never capitalized, for example, Gasterosteus aculeatus aculeatus.

 

The Latinized names of higher taxonomic groups such as families and orders are always capitalized because they are proper nouns.  Sometimes the name of a family or order is converted into English, in which case the name is no longer capitalized; for example, Acipenseridae becomes acipenserid, Lophiiformes becomes lophiiform.

 

Family names are always derived from a generic name, thus every family, without exception, must contain one genus that bears the same root, for example, Salmo is the basis for Salmonidae, Cyprinus is the basis for Cyprinidae, and Thaumatichthys is the basis for Thaumatichthyidae.

 

Generic, specific, and subspecific names should always be italicized.  All other scientific names, from kingdom to tribe and all categories in between, are never italicized.

 

The word “genus” is singular, “genera” is plural—never, ever say “genuses” or “genre”!

 

The word “species” is singular and plural—never, ever say “specie”!

 

A specific name ending in –i or –ii is a patronym, that is, a name honoring a male; for example, if you want to name a new species of the fish genus Apogon after your boyfriend and his name is Alexander, you would say Apogon alexanderi.

 

A specific name ending in –ae is a matronym, that is, a name honoring a female; for example, if you want to name a new species of the fish genus Rasbora after your girlfriend and her name is Rosalind, you would say Rasbora rosalindae.

 

A specific name ending in –ensis refers to a place, usually the place where the organism was first discovered, for example, a fish bearing the name Phyllorhinichthys guadelupensis is a species first found at Guadelupe, Triphoturus californiensis is from California.