Specific name (zoology)

In zoological nomenclature, a specific name (sometimes, informally, also: specific epithet) is the second part (second name) in the name of a species (a binomen). The first part is the name of the genus.

Note that in botanical nomenclature, "name" always refers to the whole name (of a species or otherwise), whereas in zoological nomenclature it can refer to either part of the binomen.

Example: The scientific name for humans is Homo sapiens, which is the species name, consisting of two names: Homo is the "generic name" (the name of the genus) and sapiens the "specific name".

Grammatically, a binomen (and a trinomen, also) must be treated as a Latin phrase, which gives some justification to the popular usage of the phrase "Latin name" for the more correct "scientific name". Grammatically (in Latin grammar), the specific name can be:

• A noun in apposition with the genus: Panthera leo. The words do not necessarily agree in gender. This is very often a vernacular name, or the name (specific or generic) of a similar organism.
• A noun in the genitive.
  • This is common in parasites: Xenos vesparum ("of the wasps").
  • Names of people and places are used in the genitive: Latimeria chalumnae (of "Chalumna").
• An adjective, agreeing in case and gender with the genus: Felis silvestris ("the forest cat")