Glossary of scientific naming

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 glossary of scientific 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
• ICSP - International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes
  • formerly the ICSB - International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology
  • publishes the ICNB - International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria or the "Bacteriological Code"
• ICZN - International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
  • publishes ICZN the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature or "ICZN Code"
• IBC - International Botanical Congress
  • publishes ICN the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants
    • formerly ICBN or the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (current version the Melbourne Code)
  • also publishes ICNCP or the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants
• IAPT - International Association for Plant Taxonomy
  • publishes Taxon
  • also publishes Regnum Vegetabile which contains the IBC's ICN, the Index Nominum Genericorum, and the Index Herbariorum.

General terms

• clade, cladistics
• taxon, taxonomy (Taxon is a journal of the IAPT, where proposals are made)
• phylum, phylogeny
• synonym a name for a taxon different from the currently accepted name.
  • senior synonym, (zoology) the earliest (correctly published) name
  • junior synonym, (zoology) any later name
  • homotypic synonym (botany)
  • heterotypic synonym (botany)
  • objective synonym (zoology)
  • subjective synonym (zoology)
  • pro parte or p. p. - for part
• Basionym or Protonym 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 (stat. nov) new status - when a taxon has been given a new rank
• homonym names spelled identically (in some codes similarly, as defined by the code)
  • senior homonym (zoo.) the first (legitimate) use of the name which generally takes priority
  • junior homonym (zoo.) - later homonym (bot.) a later and generally illegitimate use, though in some circumstances the later name is allowed to stand
  • hemihomonym - a homonym across naming authorities, allowed since confusion is unlikely
• Principle of the First Reviser
• Principle of Priority
• Principle of Typification
• taxonomic authority
• binomial authority
• binomial nomenclature (also "binominal")
• trinomial nomenclature (also "trinominal")
• hybrid name (botany) either two parent binomials, separated by a '×' (q.v.) or a given binomial, with or without an intercalated '×'.
• chresonym
  • orthochresonym
  • heterochresonym
• taxon (pl taxa)
  • wastebasket taxon (also "wastebin taxon", "dustbin taxon" or "catch-all taxon")
  • form taxon
  • Lazarus taxon
  • Elvis taxon
  • zombie taxon
  • node-based taxon
  • ichnotaxon (ichnogenus, ichnospecies, etc.) A taxon (genus, species, etc.) only known by its work, e.g. footprints, nests, bite marks.
  • ootaxon (oospecies, etc.) A taxon (species, etc.) known from fossil eggs.
• polyphyletic taxon
• monophyletic taxon - a taxon consisting of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants, a clade
• paraphyletic taxon
• species complex a group of closely related species very similar in appearance, generally constituting a monophyletic taxon
• alliance a group of species or genera that have at sometime been considered provisionally related.
• conspecific of the same species, for example of two taxa previously thought to be different species
• congeners items of the same genus
• circumscription the limits of a taxon as laid down by its description
• sensu (Latin "sense") as in sensu stricto (in the strict sense), sensu lato (in a broad sense), etc. See sensu for more variants and details.
• secundum - following, as in "secundum Smith".

Types

• type
• type series
• type species
• type genus
• type specimen
  • Allotype a designated type of opposite sex to the holotype
  • Clonotype
  • Epitype an additional or clarifying type
  • Ergatotype
  • Hapantotype
  • Holotype
  • Isotype a type identical to the holotype
  • Lectotype
  • Neotype a replacement for the holotype
  • Paralectotype
  • Paratype a member of a type series apart from the holotype or isotype (zoology) a syntype that is not a member of the type series (botany)
  • Syntype a specimen cited in the original description (of whatever taxon) (botany)

Rank names

The main ranks are kingdom (regnum), phylum or division (divisio), class, order, family, genus and species. The ranks of section and series are also used in botany for groups within genera, while section 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 "form", "variety", "strain", "breed", "cultivar" and "landrace" are used to describe various sub-specific groups in different fields.

It is possible for a clade to be unranked, for example Psoroptidia (Yunker, 1955) and the SAR supergroup.

Latin descriptions of names or taxa

Note that in zoology the English descriptions, such as "conserved name", for example, are acceptable and generally used. This descriptions can be classified between accepted names (nom. cons., nom. nov., nom. prot.) and unaccepted combinations because 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).

• ex errore – made in error
• incertae sedis – of uncertain placement
• nomen conservandum (nom. cons.; plural: nomina conservanda) – a conserved name
• nomen dubium (nom. dub.; plural: nomina dubia) – a name of questionable application
• nomen erratum (nom. err.; plural: nomina errata) - a name given in error
• nomen illegitimum (nom. illeg.; plural: nomina illegitima) – an illegitimate name
• nomen invalidum (nom. inval.; plural: nomina invalida) – an invalid name
• nomen novum (nom. nov.; plural: nomina nova) – a replacement name
• nomen nudum (nom. nud.; plural: nomina nuda) – a name published without an accompanying description
• nomen oblitum (nom. obl.; plural: nomina oblita) – a name which has been overlooked (literally, forgotten) and is no longer valid
• nomen protectum (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 emendation^[1]
• species inquirenda, a species of doubtful identity requiring further investigation

Abbreviations and symbols

• var. – variety
• subvar. - subvariety
• nothovar. -
• sp. (plural spp.) – species
• subsp. (plural subspp.) – subspecies
• f. - forma or form.
• subf. - subforma
• cf. (confer) – indicates approximate placement
• s.s. - sensu stricto
• s.l. - sensu lato
• † – extinct
• × – cross – indicates a hybrid
• + - indicates a graft hybrid

See also

• Alpha taxonomy
• Cladistics
• Glossary of botanical terms
• Species description

References

1. On 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