Many people are intimidated by writing scientific names — and if science has never been your strong point and you don't find Latin fascinating either, you are probably one of them. The good news? Writing scientific names is really not that hard. Here's how.
Accuracy and specificity are both of critical importance in scientific endeavors. Order, which requires a system, is also crucial. The current system of scientific names, called binomial nomenclature, was first introduced by Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century for all of these reasons. Although this framework has evolved since that time — with the discovery of countless new species — it remains in place to this day.
Although many people refer to scientific names as "Latin names", that would be inaccurate. Many scientific names have Latin roots, but others have Greek roots or are based on entirely different languages, such as English or Russian. One advantage of scientific names lies in the fact that it allows people from diverse backgrounds and speaking numerous native languages to understand what species is under discussion more easily.
Frankly, the easiest way to find out the scientific name of a specific species would be to look it up on the internet, using reputable sources. Textbooks can also help you master more scientific names.
You'll have seen scientific names before, and probably noticed that they consist of two parts. That's what "binomial" means in Latin — two names. The first name always refers to the genus of a species; that is, the wider group or type it belongs to. The second name refers to the specific species, and is therefore unique. In this way, the scientific name of an organism offers information not only about its name, but also about the wider group it belongs to.
While a scientific name only offers information about an organism's genus and species name, binomial nomenclature reflects a much larger taxonomy; the biological classification of species has eight ranks, seven of which are widely in use today.
Let's take the common house cat as an example.
Your feline friend belongs to:
If you are looking for a handy guidebook to offer comprehensive information on the scientific names of various species, the International Codes of Nomenclature would be it. There are different International Codes of Nomenclature for plants, algae, and fungi, for bacteria, and for zoology (meaning animals). These codes are updated sporadically, typically once every six years or whenever the need for an update becomes apparent.
The International Codes of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants is, for instance, currently in its 17th edition and was last updated in 2018. You can find it online for free through the IAPT. In most cases, you won't need to have access to guides such as this one, however, and will easily be able to locate a correct scientific name on the internet.
If you are writing an essay, or need to familiarize yourself with the rules of writing scientific names for any other reason, the process can seem daunting at first. Once you understand them, however, the rules are extremely logical.
Here's a look:
Were you hoping to see some more examples in action? We have you covered!
If you are unsure about specific conventions as they pertain to a particular species, you can always look it up to find more information. You could, for instance, refer to a number of scientific studies that mention the species, and observe how the authors have written the name. If there is a convention, you should follow it.
Why are scientific names in italics or underlined?
The convention of italicizing — or, where that is not possible, such as in cursive handwriting or on a typewriter underlining — scientific names likely arose to indicate that these words had a unique origin, and were essentially loanwords.
Today, however, the practice is part of an entire framework, and italicizing or underlining scientific names offers additional clarity. In "S. enterica ser. Typhimurium", for instance, the last portion, which is not in italics, signifies a serotype of a particular species of Salmonella bacteria. When everyone knows what should and should not be italicized, the very content of academic writing becomes clearer, too.
Why are scientific names written in Latin?
Contrary to popular belief, not all scientific names are written in Latin! Latin was originally chosen because, as a dead language, it offered an abundant source of new words — the framework for creating scientific names was laid during a time when numerous new species were discovered frequently.
The practice has the added benefit of being geopolitically fairly neutral. If scientific names had been in English or Russian, for instance, it would have caused some conflict and made it impossible to adopt the same framework on a global basis.
Today, scientific names are drawn from a multitude of sources, but still have Greek or Latin suffixes. Take the dragonfly Acisoma attenboroughi, for instance, as one of 12 species named for David Attenborough. That's definitely not Latin!
New scientific names — given to newly-discovered species, of which there are surprisingly many — are agreed upon by the scientific community, often after passionate discussion and debate. New scientific names must fit within the established framework. After a genus is clarified, the species name can refer to a physical characteristic, behavioral characteristic, or even the name of the person who discovered it, or in honor of a famous scientist.