Binomen
In zoology, a binomen, or binominal name, is the name of a species. The term was introduced in 1953.
A binomen is a name consisting of two names: generic name and specific name. Both names are typeset in italics, but only the generic name is capitalised.
- Canis lupus the wolf.
If the generic name has already been mentioned in the same paragraph, it is often abbreviated to the initial letter in subsequent uses (C. lupus).
In a taxonomic publication, a name is incomplete without an author citation and publication details. This indicates who published the name; in what publication; with the date of the publication.
It is incorrect to refer to the genus and species as part of a "binomial" nomenclature. Binomial refers to a probability distribution based on a process known as a Bernoulli trial. Instead, the correct term is binominal nomenclature, which consists of a binomen, the genus and species.
See also
- Nomenclature Codes
- binominal nomenclature
- in plants, a species gets a two part name, a binary name.
