Skip to main content

Understanding Binomial Nomenclature

This quiz tests your knowledge of binomial nomenclature, the system used for naming species in biology. It covers key concepts, historical context, and the rules governing scientific naming.

#binomial nomenclature #biology #taxonomy #scientific naming #Carl Linnaeus

1 The essence of it is that each species name is in (modern scientific) ________ and has two parts, so that it is popularly known as the Latin name of the species, although this terminology is avoided by biologists and philologists, who prefer the term scientific name.

2 He adopted the binomial nomenclature scheme, using only the ________ name and the specific name or epithet which together form the species name.

3 In ________, the word identifying the species is called the specific epithet.

4 ________ started anew, with a starting point on 1980-01-01.

5 In ________, the starting point will often be in 1753 (the year Carl Linnaeus first published Species Plantarum), in zoology in 1758.

6 Fungi, ________) (ICBN), and bacteria (incl.

7 There is also a code in development for naming clades, called the ________.

8 The first letter of the first name, the genus, is always capitalized, while that of the second is not, even when derived from a ________ such as the name of a person or place.

9 The value of the binomial nomenclature ________ derives primarily from its economy, its widespread use, and the stability of names it generally favors:

10 In ________, the word identifying the species is called the specific name.

💡 Interesting Facts

  • the Green Rosella (pictured) of Tasmania was mistakenly believed by Johann Friedrich Gmelin to have originated from New Caledonia and named accordingly.
  • the Blood Parrot, a cross-bred fish, has neither a binomial nomenclature nor a distinctly known parentage.
  • the wart-biter bush-cricket (Decticus verrucivorus) obtained both its English and scientific names from a Swedish practice of using the cricket to bite warts from the skin.
  • the whitefin, Cook's, Australian reticulate, spotted, leopard-spotted, painted, flagtail, speckled, saddled, and narrowbar swellsharks were all scientifically described in 2008, more than doubling the number of species in the genus Cephaloscyllium (example pictured).
  • the shortest binomial name of a species is Ia io, which belongs to the Great Evening Bat.
  • the Bare-faced Bulbul, the only songbird in Asia to lack feathers on the face, is the first Asian bulbul to be described in over 100 years.
  • the herb Forsskaolea tenacissima was so named by Carl Linnaeus because it was as stubborn and persistent as his student Peter ForsskÃ¥l (pictured) had been.
  • the binomial name of the White-throated Treecreeper (pictured) translates as "brown and white trunk traveller".
  • before it was scientifically described, the stingray Dasyatis acutirostra was often confused with Dasyatis zugei.
  • the scientific name of Longnose trevally (Carangoides chrysophrys) means "golden eyebrow".
  • the scientific name of the vase-shaped forest fungus Gomphus floccosus (pictured) means 'woolly plug'.
  • the species name of South Africa's Eastern Cape Blue Cycad (pictured), horridus, is Latin for 'sticking out' or 'prickly', after the plant's stiff, spiny leaflets.
  • common bracken's scientific name of Pteridium aquilinum is derived from its frond's resemblance to eagle wings.
    • Previous Quiz Next Quiz

    Related Quizzes

    Understanding Antibiotic Resistance and Its Implications

    #Antibiotics #Antibiotic Resistance #Microbiology #Infectious Diseases #Public Health

    Exploring the Arecaceae Family: A Quiz on Palms

    #Arecaceae #palms #botany #plant biology #fossils #tropical plants #species classification

    Exploring Astronomy: A Quiz on Celestial Knowledge

    #Astronomy #Space #Celestial Bodies #Astrophysics #Gravitational Waves #Biology in Space #Near-Earth Objects

    Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

    #Autism #ASD #Genetics #Neurobiology #Mental Health #Psychoactive Drugs #Syndromal Autism #Self-harm

    Exploring Bacteria: A Knowledge Quiz

    #Microbiology #Bacteria #Quiz #Biology #Environmental Science

    Understanding Bats: A Quiz on Their Biology and Significance

    #Bats #Wildlife #Biology #Zoology #Ecology #Quiz

    Exploring Biplanes and Their History

    #Biplanes #Aviation History #Aircraft Design #Dinosaurs #Biology

    Exploring Blood: From Myths to Biology

    #Blood #Vampires #Biology #Television #Mythology