This is a list of terms and symbols used in scientific names for organisms, and in describing the names. For proper parts of the names themselves, see List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names. Note that many of the abbreviations are used with or without a stop.

Naming standards and taxonomic organizations and their codes and taxonomies

* ICTV –

International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) authorizes and organizes the taxonomic classification of and the nomenclatures for viruses. The ICTV has developed a universal taxonomic scheme for viruses, and thus has the means to ap ...

* ICSP – International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes ** formerly the ICSB – International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology ** publishes the ICNP – International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes *** formerly the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria (ICNB) or Bacteriological Code (BC) * ICZN –

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 26 commissioners from 20 countries. Orga ...

** publishes ''ICZN'' the ''

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its publisher, the Int ...

'' or "ICZN Code" * IBC –

International Botanical Congress International Botanical Congress (IBC) is an international meeting of botanists in all scientific fields, authorized by the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies (IABMS) and held every six years, with the location rotati ...

** publishes ''ICN'' the ''

International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants The ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all those "trad ...

'' *** formerly ''ICBN'' or the ''International Code of Botanical Nomenclature'' (current version the

Shenzhen Code Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

) ** also publishes ''ICNCP'' or the '' International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants'' * IAPT – International Association for Plant Taxonomy ** publishes ''

Taxon In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...

'' ** also publishes '' Regnum Vegetabile'' which contains the IBC's ''ICN'', the '' Index Nominum Genericorum'', and the ''

Index Herbariorum The Index Herbariorum provides a global directory of herbaria and their associated staff. This searchable online index allows scientists rapid access to data related to 3,400 locations where a total of 350 million botanical Biological specim ...

General terms

* clade,

cladistics Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups (" clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived ch ...

phylum In biology, a phylum (; plural: phyla) is a level of classification or taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. Traditionally, in botany the term division has been used instead of phylum, although the International Code of Nomenclatu ...

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spe ...

taxon In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

; ''Taxon'' is a journal of the IAPT, where proposals are made *

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are al ...

: a name for a taxon different from the currently accepted name ** ''pro parte'' (abbreviation ''p. p.''; "for part" in Latin) ** senior synonym, (zoology) : the earliest (correctly published) name ** junior synonym, (zoology) : any later name ** homotypic synonym (botany) ** heterotypic synonym (botany) : (or taxonomic synonym) a synonym that comes into being when a taxon is reduced in status ("reduced to synonymy") and becomes part of a different taxon; the zoological equivalent is "subjective synonym" ** objective synonym (zoology) ** subjective synonym (zoology): ''see'' taxonomic synonym ** taxonomic synonym (botany): ''see'' taxonomic synonym *

basionym In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both bota ...

or basyonym (botany), or protonym or original combination (zoology): original name on which the current name is based; in bacteriology "basonym" * ''combinatio nova'' (''comb. nov.'') : new combination; when a taxon has been given a new name, preserving one of the previous components * ''status novus'' (abbr. ''stat. nov.'') : new status; when a taxon has been given a new rank *

homonym In linguistics, homonyms are words which are homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of pronunciation), or homophones (equivocal words, that share the same pronunciation, regardless of spelling), or both. Using this definition, ...

: names spelled identically, but, in some codes, names spelled similarly, as defined by the code **

senior homonym In biology, a homonym is a name for a taxon that is identical in spelling to another such name, that belongs to a different taxon. The rule in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is that the first such name to be published is the se ...

(zoology) : the first legitimate use of the name which generally takes priority **

junior homonym In biology, a homonym is a name for a taxon that is identical in spelling to another such name, that belongs to a different taxon. The rule in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is that the first such name to be published is the se ...

(zoology),

later homonym In biology, a homonym is a name for a taxon that is identical in spelling to another such name, that belongs to a different taxon. The rule in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is that the first such name to be published is the se ...

(botany) : a later and generally illegitimate use, though in some circumstances the later name is allowed to stand **

hemihomonym In biology, a homonym is a name for a taxon that is identical in spelling to another such name, that belongs to a different taxon. The rule in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is that the first such name to be published is the se ...

: a homonym across naming authorities that is permitted because any confusion is improbable ** parahomonym: names that are similar enough to be likely to be confused * isonym (botany) an identical name based on the same type, but published later * Principle of the First Reviser *

Principle of Priority 270px, '' Valid name (zoology)">valid name. Priority is a fundamental principle of modern botanical nomenclature and zoological nomenclature. Essentially, it is the principle of recognising the first valid application of a name to a plant or an ...

* Principle of Typification * taxonomic authority * binomial authority *

binomial nomenclature In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, b ...

(also "binominal") *

trinomial nomenclature In biology, trinomial nomenclature refers to names for taxa below the rank of species. These names have three parts. The usage is different in zoology and botany. In zoology In zoological nomenclature, a trinomen (), trinominal name, or ternar ...

(also "trinominal") * hybrid name (botany) : either two parent binomials, separated by a "×" (q.v.) or a given binomial, with or without an intercalated "×" * chresonym published usage of a name. **

orthochresonym In biodiversity informatics, a chresonym is the cited use of a taxon name, usually a species name, within a publication. The term is derived from the Greek language, Greek χρῆσις ''chresis'' meaning "a use" and refers to published usage of a ...

** heterochresonym *

(plural "taxa") **

wastebasket taxon Wastebasket taxon (also called a wastebin taxon, dustbin taxon or catch-all taxon) is a term used by some taxonomists to refer to a taxon that has the sole purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically define ...

(also "wastebin taxon", "dustbin taxon" or "catch-all taxon") ** form taxon **

Lazarus taxon In paleontology, a Lazarus taxon (plural ''taxa'') is a taxon that disappears for one or more periods from the fossil record, only to appear again later. Likewise in conservation biology and ecology, it can refer to species or populations tha ...

** Elvis taxon **

sister taxon In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

** zombie taxon ** node-based taxon ** parataxon **

ichnotaxon An ichnotaxon (plural ichnotaxa) is "a taxon based on the fossilized work of an organism", i.e. the non-human equivalent of an artifact. ''Ichnotaxa'' comes from the Greek ίχνος, ''ichnos'' meaning ''track'' and ταξις, ''taxis'' meaning ...

(ichnogenus (igen.), ichnospecies (isp.), etc.) : a taxon (genus, species, etc.) only known by its work, e.g. footprints, nests, or bite marks ** ootaxon (oospecies, etc.) : a taxon known from fossil eggs ** sciotaxon a taxon known from partial evidence but believed to be identical to an

orthotaxon Form classification is the classification of organisms based on their morphology, which does not necessarily reflect their biological relationships. Form classification, generally restricted to palaeontology, reflects uncertainty; the goal of sc ...

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...

taxon *

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic ...

taxon : a taxon consisting of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants; a clade *

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

taxon *

species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

: a group of closely related species very similar in appearance, generally constituting a monophyletic taxon * species aggregate or aggregate species : a grouping of closely related species that are treated like a single species for practical purposes *

alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

: a group of species or genera that have at some time been considered provisionally related *

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...

: of the same species; e. g. of two taxa previously thought to be different species * congeners : items of the same genus * circumscription : the limits of a taxon as made evident by its recognized constituency; a taxon may accordingly be circumscribed differently by different authorities if they recognize different constituents * ''

sensu ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

'' ("sense" in Latin) : as in ' (''s. s.'') (in the strict sense), ' (in a broad sense), etc.; see ''

'' for more variants and details * ''secundum'' ("following" in Latin) : e. g. "''secundum'' Smith" * form classification

Types

Type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

Type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nomina ...

Type series In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

Type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

Type specimen In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

** Allotype : a designated type of opposite sex to the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of seve ...

Clonotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

** Epitype : an additional or clarifying

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

Ergatotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

Hapantotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

Holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of seve ...

** Isotype : a type identical to the

Isolectotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

: **

Lectotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes th ...

a type specimen selected from a group of syntypes ** Name-bearing type **

Neotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes th ...

: a replacement for the

Paralectotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes th ...

: a remaining syntype once the lectotype and any isolectotypes are excluded (bot.) **

Paratype In zoology and botany, a paratype is a specimen of an organism that helps define what the scientific name of a species and other taxon actually represents, but it is not the holotype (and in botany is also neither an isotype nor a syntype). O ...

: a member of a

type series In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

apart from the

or isotype (zoology); a

syntype In biological nomenclature, a syntype is any one of two or more biological types that is listed in a description of a taxon where no holotype was designated. Precise definitions of this and related terms for types have been established as part of ...

that is not a member of the

(botany) **

Syntype In biological nomenclature, a syntype is any one of two or more biological types that is listed in a description of a taxon where no holotype was designated. Precise definitions of this and related terms for types have been established as part of ...

: a specimen cited in the original description of the taxon (botany) *

Type locality Type locality may refer to: * Type locality (biology) * Type locality (geology) See also * Local (disambiguation) * Locality (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

or location: where the type specimen was found * Type host: in parasitology, the host species from which the type specimen was recovered

Rank names

The main ranks are kingdom (''regnum''),

or division (''divisio''), class (''classis''),

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

(''ordo''),

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

(''familia''),

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

and

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

. The ranks of

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sign ...

and series are also used in botany for groups within genera, while

is used in zoology for a division of an order. Further levels in the hierarchy can be made by the addition of prefixes such as sub-, super-, infra-, and so on. Divisions such as "morph", "form", "variety", "strain", "breed", "

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

", hybrid (nothospecies) and "

landrace A landrace is a domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural environment of agriculture and pastoralism, and due to isolati ...

" are used to describe various sub-specific groups in different fields. It is possible for a clade to be unranked, for example

Psoroptidia Psoroptidia is a parvorder of the Acari (mite) group Astigma (or Astigmatina). It comprises around 40 families, and apparently originated as parasites of birds, before a secondary radiation saw some taxa become parasites of mammals. Because of ...

(Yunker, 1955) and the

SAR supergroup The SAR supergroup, also just SAR or Harosa, is a clade that includes stramenopiles (heterokonts), alveolates, and Rhizaria. The name is an acronym derived from the first letters of each of these clades; it has been alternatively spelled "RAS" ...

. Sometimes a rank is described as ''clade'' where the traditional hierarchy cannot accommodate them..

Latin descriptions of names or taxa

Note that in zoology the English descriptions, such as "conserved name", for example, are acceptable and generally used. These descriptions can be classified between accepted names (''nom. cons., nom. nov., nom. prot.'') and unaccepted combinations for different reasons (''nom. err., nom. illeg., nom. nud., nom. rej., nom. supp., nom. van.''), with some cases in between regarding the use (''nom. dub.'': used but not fully accepted; ''nom. obl.'': accepted but not fully used, so it yields precedence to a ''nom. prot''). * ''

Candidatus In prokaryote nomenclature, ''Candidatus'' (Latin for candidate of Roman office) is used to name prokaryotic phyla that are well characterized but yet-uncultured. Contemporary sequencing approaches, such as 16S sequencing or metagenomics, provid ...

'' (''Ca.'') - a taxon proposed from incomplete information, such as uncultured bacteria known from metagenomics * ''ex errore'' – made in error * ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

'' – of uncertain placement * ''nomen alternativum'' (''nom. alt.''; plural: ''nomina alternativa'') – an alternative name, as for certain plant families * '' nomen conservandum'' (''nom. cons.''; plural: ''nomina conservanda'') – a conserved name * ''

nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...

'' (''nom. dub.''; plural: ''nomina dubia'') (zoo. bact. bot.(informal)) – a name of questionable application ** '' nomen ambiguum'' (plural: ''nomina ambigua''), (bot.) a name that has been used with more than one meaning ** ''

nomen confusum In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...

'' (plural: ''nomina confusa''), (bact.) a name based on a mixed bacterial culture ** '' nomen perplexum'' (plural: ''nomina perplexa''), a name confusingly similar to another name or names ** '' nomen periculosum'' (plural: ''nomina periculosa''), an name which can lead to dangerous outcomes, through confusion * ''nomen erratum'' (''nom. err.''; plural: ''nomina errata'') - a name given in error * ''

nomen illegitimum ''Nomen illegitimum'' (Latin for illegitimate name) is a technical term, used mainly in botany. It is usually abbreviated as ''nom. illeg.'' Although the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants uses Latin terms for other ki ...

'' (''nom. illeg.''; plural: ''nomina illegitima'') – an illegitimate name * '' nomen invalidum'' ('' nom. inval.''; plural: ''nomina invalida'') – an invalid name * ''nomen manuscriptum'' - a name that appears in a manuscript * ''nomen monstrositatum'' (''nom. monstr.'') – a name based on a monstrosity ( fasciation, phyllody or similar deformities) * ''

nomen novum In biological nomenclature, a ''nomen novum'' (Latin for "new name"), new replacement name (or replacement name, new substitute name, substitute name) is a scientific name that is created specifically to replace another scientific name, but only w ...

'' (''nom. nov.''; plural: ''nomina nova'') – a replacement name * ''

nomen nudum In taxonomy, a ''nomen nudum'' ('naked name'; plural ''nomina nuda'') is a designation which looks exactly like a scientific name of an organism, and may have originally been intended to be one, but it has not been published with an adequate des ...

'' (''nom. nud.''; plural: ''nomina nuda'') – a name published without an accompanying description * ''

nomen oblitum In zoological nomenclature, a ''nomen oblitum'' (plural: ''nomina oblita''; Latin for "forgotten name") is a disused scientific name which has been declared to be obsolete (figuratively 'forgotten') in favour of another 'protected' name. In its p ...

'' (''nom. obl.''; plural: ''nomina oblita'') – a name which has been overlooked (literally, forgotten) and is no longer valid * ''

nomen protectum In zoological nomenclature, a ''nomen oblitum'' (plural: ''nomina oblita''; Latin for "forgotten name") is a disused scientific name which has been declared to be obsolete (figuratively 'forgotten') in favour of another 'protected' name. In its p ...

'' (''nom. prot.''; plural: ''nomina protecta'') – a name granted protection * '' nomen rejiciendum'' (''nom. rej.''; plural: ''nomina rejicienda'') – a name that has been rejected and cannot be used * ''nomen suppressum'' (''nom. supp.''; plural: ''nomina suppressa'') – a name that has been suppressed and cannot be used * ''nomen vanum'' (plural: ''nomina vana'') - not a useful term, has been used to mean either a ''nomen dubium'' (see above in this list), or an invalid change in spelling, better called an unjustified emendationOn the use of the term ''nomen vanum'' in taxonomy. John Chorn and Kenneth N. Whetstone. Museum of Natural History, Kansas, Lawrence 66045. Journal of Paleontology vol 52 no. 2, March 1978 * ''

species inquirenda In biological classification, a ''species inquirenda'' is a species of doubtful identity requiring further investigation. The use of the term in English-language biological literature dates back to at least the early nineteenth century. The term ...

'', a species of doubtful identity requiring further investigation

Latin abbreviations

* '' cf.'' : ''confer''; literally "compare", indicates approximate placement * ''f.'' : ''forma'';

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: * Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter dat ...

* ''nothovar.'' : ''nothovarietas''; hybrid variety * ''nob.'' : ''nobis''): by us, indicates the writers are the authority of a scientific name * ''p. p.'' : ''pro parte''; "for part" * ''pro syn.'' : ''pro synonymo''; "as synonym" * ''sensu auct.'' : ''sensu auctorum''; in the sense of certain authors (generally referring to an invalid usage) * ''s.l.'' : ''

sensu lato ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

''; in the broad (loose) sense * ''sp.'' (plural ''spp.'') : ''

'' (identical in English) * '' sp. nov.'' (plural ''spp. nov.'') : ''

species nova In biological taxonomy, a ' (plural: '; abbreviation: ' plural abbreviation: ') is a new species. The phrase is Latin, and is used after a binomial name that is being published for the first time. An example is the species of miniature frog, '' ...

'' (''species novae'') : new species (singular) * ''s.s.'' : ''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

''; in the strict (narrow or precise) sense * ''ssp.'' (plural ''sspp.'' or ''subspp'') : '' subspecies'' (identical in English) * ''subf.'' : ''subforma''; subform * ''subsp.'' (plural ''subspp.'') : '' subspecies'' (identical in English) * ''subvar.'' : ''subvarietas''; subvariety * ''var.'' : ''varietas''; variety

English abbreviations

* ''bot.'' - botany * ''zoo.'' - zoology

Symbols

* × : cross; indicates a hybrid *

† A dagger, obelisk, or obelus is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. The symbol is also used to indicate death (of people) or extinction (of species). It is one of the modern descendan ...

: extinct * + : graft or chimera; indicates a graft hybrid

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=May 2020

Naming Naming is assigning a name to something. Naming may refer to: * Naming (parliamentary procedure), a procedure in certain parliamentary bodies * Naming ceremony, an event at which an infant is named * Product naming, the discipline of deciding ...

Glossaries of botany

scientific naming In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...