- Scientific Names

The formal system of naming is called binomial nomenclature. Each species name is in (modern scientific) Latin and has two parts, so that it is popularly known as the Latin name of the species, although this terminology is avoided by biologists, who prefer the term scientific name. Instead of using the full seven-category system (kingdom-phylum-class-order-family--species) in naming an organism, Carolus Linnaeus chose to use a two-word naming system. He adopted the binomial nomenclature scheme, using only the genus and the specific (species) which together form the species name. For example, humans belong to genus Homo and their specific name is sapiens. Humans as a species are thus classified as Homo sapiens.

Writing scientific names: The first letter of the first name, the genus, is always capitalized, while that of the second is not, even when derived from a proper noun such as the name of a person or place. Conventionally, all names of genera and lower taxa are always italicized, while family names and higher taxa are printed in plain text. When writing a scientific name by hand, it is underlined. Species can be divided into a further rank, giving rise to a trinomial name for a (trinomen for animals, ternary name for plants).

1. According to classification, if two organisms are in the same class, then they must be in the same kingdom and a. Family b. Order c. Phylum d. Species

2. Which of the following is the correct form of the scientific name for the African lion? a. Panthera Leo b. Panthera leo c. Panthera Leo d. Panthera leo

3. The lion’s scientific name is Panthera leo. The leopards’s scientific name is Panthera pardus. The tiger’s is Panthera tigris. Which statement is true? a. All 3 animals share a genus b. All 3 animals share a species c. The 3 animals are genetically identical d. The 3 animals share no genetic information

4. What is the correct scientific name for Organism 1 in the picture? a. Orange-barred sulphur b. Insecta Lepidoptera Peridae Phoebis c. Peridae Phoebis d. Not enough information given

5. All but one of the statements is true about Linnaeus’s modern system of taxonomic classification. Which statement is not true? a. The classification of organisms is based on similarities in traits b. Most species names are written in Swedish, because Linnaeus was Swedish c. The highest level of classification is the kingdom, and the most specific is the species. d. Organisms are commonly identified by their genus and species, such as Homo sapiens for humans

6. Which of these groups includes organisms that are most closely related? a. Class b. Family c. Genus d. Species