Binomial Nomenclature

Keywords

Binomial nomenclature, naming system, Carl Linnaeus, genus, species, italics, underline, Latin.

Introduction

Binomial nomenclature. Difficult to say in the first place, it is a naming culture that was first coined by a scientist in the mid-1700s.

What Does Nomenclature Mean?

It is a dual naming purpose given to a species of plant, animal, and other organisms. The way we look at plants and animals, we have to give them all a different name. To understand it better, we will take a look at the Monarch butterfly.

If you watched the video it is explained clearly there. If not, then let me try and explain it as well. A species has two name in a binomial nomenclature naming system - a first name (genus), and a second name (species).

For the Monarch butterfly used in the example there, you will see that the first name is Danaus, and the second name is plexippus. Together, this makes Danaus plexippus. So far, so good.

There are some rules you need to remember in binomial nomenclature:

Genus name always goes first: this is always the case, because when you have several species, but they have the same genus, it is easier to identify.

Genus name is capitalised: this means that Danaus is always a capital letter, and should never be written without being this way.

Species name is never capitalised: this is always lowercase, and never capitalised.

The entire name is italicised or underlined: to make sure you understand that the naming system is naming a species, you have to italicise it, or underline it. You will notice this is the case at the top of the page.

Interesting fact: although many original names came from both Latin and Greek, the majority of names made for new species are consisted of Latin, and are also based on the location they are found, as well as the name of the person who found them.

What's in a Name?

Without this type of naming system, scientists would not be able to distinguish between two different species within a genus, and also they would have more work to tell organisms apart. This way, it is easier to find them, or to specify which is which.

This naming system has been around since the mid-1700s, and was first explained by Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus. His work paved the way for others to use the system (which he encouraged), and it soon became a commonplace standard.

It also helps scientists know that a species may be in more than one country and area, as the names for these may be different. In the example of the Monarch butterfly, it has other names such as Milkweed Butterfly, Common Tiger Butterfly, and so on.