November 22 - 9.4: Linneaus Part II Flashcards
Naming a genus after a person
Genus names formed from personal names are always treated as grammatically feminine, so they will usually end in an -a.
For names that end in consonants or -a, add -ia
Walker → Walkeria
Garza → Garzaia
For names that end in vowels (except -a) add -a
Brelinski → Brelinskia
The 4 types of specific epithets
An adjective
A participle (present or past)
A noun in apposition to the genus
A noun in the genitive case
Felis concolor
What kind of specific epithet does it use?
one-colored [concolor] cat [Felis]
adjective
Fraxinus angustifolia
What kind of specific epithet does it use?
narrow-leafed [angustifolia] ash [Fraxinus]
adjective
Crotalus adamanteus
What kind of specific epithet does it use?
diamond(y) [adamanteus] rattle [Crotalus]
adjective
Participles
Adjectives made from verbs
Anopheles latens
What kind of specific epithet does it use?
hiding harmful creature
Anopheles = not beneficial
latens is a present participle of hiding
participle (present)
Lycaon pictus
What kind of specific epithet does it use?
painted wolf
Lycaon a mythological wolf man
pictus is a past participle of painted
participle (past)
Appositives
Nouns that follow other nouns and describe them
Ex: my brother, a plumber…
Ex: My sister, a lawyer…
Canis lupus
What kind of specific epithet does it use?
Wolf
Dog [Canis] the wolf [lupus]
A noun in apposition to the genus
Panthera leo
What kind of specific epithet does it use?
Lion
Big cat [Panthera] the lion [leo]
A noun in apposition to the genus
Genitives
Latin has special forms of nouns called genitives, which mean OF or ‘s (possession)
For example, taurus means bull, and its genitive is tauri and means “of a bull” or “belonging to a bull”
How are genitives used?
For the most part, Latin genitives are used to name species after people or indicate the places they inhabit. Commonly end in -i and -ae.
What is the only taxon smaller than a species?
A subspecies
{dy}
slip, take (as in slip or take clothes on or off)
