Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.
🔑Concepts
Binomial Nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms.
The system was introduced by the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus, who is known as the 'Father of Taxonomy'.
The first part of the name identifies the Genus (Generic name) to which the species belongs.
The second part identifies the Specific Epithet (Species name) within that genus.
Rule 1: The Genus name must always begin with a Capital letter (e.g., ).
Rule 2: The Specific Epithet must always begin with a small letter (e.g., ).
Rule 3: When printed, the scientific name is written in italics (e.g., ). When handwritten, the Genus and Species names are underlined separately.
The names are usually derived from Latin or are Latinized, as Latin is a 'dead language' and does not change over time.
📐Formulae
💡Examples
Problem 1:
Identify the correctly written scientific name for the Tiger: (A) Panthera Tigris (B) panthera tigris (C) (D) Panthera tigris.
Solution:
(C)
Explanation:
Option (C) follows all rules: the Genus starts with a capital letter, the specific epithet starts with a lowercase letter, and the name is italicized.
Problem 2:
Given the common name 'Mango', provide its scientific name and identify its components.
Solution:
Scientific Name:
Explanation:
In this name, is the Genus (Generic name) and is the Specific Epithet (Species name). The name is derived from Latin and signifies the plant's origin or characteristics.
Problem 3:
How would you write the scientific name of a Lion, , if you were writing it by hand in your notebook?
Solution:
\underline{Panthera} \underline{leo}
Explanation:
According to the Binomial system, when a scientific name is handwritten, the Genus and the Species must be underlined separately to indicate their scientific status.