Question

Nomenclature is governed by certain universal rules. Which one of the following is contrary to the rules of nomenclature?

• A. Biological names can be written in any language
• B. The first words in a biological name represents the genus name, and the second is a specific epithet
• C. The names are written in Latin and are italicized
• D. When written by hand, the names are to be underlined

Answer 1

The correct option is A Biological names can be written in any language

According to the rules of IUCN the original names were taken from Latin or Greek languages. New names are now derived either from Latin language or are Latinized.

Binomial nomenclature means naming an organism with two words. The first word represents the genus and the second word represents species. The first letter of the genus is always written in the capital letter and the first letter of species in small letter. The names are always written in the Latin language as they are mostly derived from Latin and Greek.

Other universal rules of nomenclature are as follows:

1. The first word in a biological name represents the genus while the second component denotes the specific epithet.
2. Both the words in a biological name, when handwritten, are
separately underlined, or printed in italics to indicate their Latin
origin.
3. The first word denoting the genus starts with a capital letter
while the specific epithet starts with a small letter.

So, the correct answer is 'Biological names can be written in any language'