Question

Select the correct way of writing a scientific name of 'human being' in binomial nomenclature.

• A. Homo Sapiens
• B. Homo Sapiens
• C. Homosapiens
• D. Homo sapiens

Answer 1

The correct option is D Homo sapiens

The following are rules for writing scientific names in binomial nomemclature:

1. Biological names are generally in Latin and written in italics. They are Latinised or derived from Latin irrespective of their origin.
2. The first word in a biological name represents the genus while the second component denotes the specific epithet.
3. Both the words in a biological name, when handwritten, are separately underlined, or printed in italics to indicate their Latin origin.
4. The first word denoting the genus starts with a capital letter while the specific epithet starts with a small letter.

For example: The scientific name of human being is Homo sapiens. Homo is the generic name while sapiens is the species name. They should be written in italics separately. Generic name should start with capital latter whereas species name should begin with small latter.