The Living World Question 16
16. Which of the following is against the rules of ICBN?
(a) Generic and specific names should be written starting with small letters.
(b) Hand written scientific names should be underlined.
(c) Every species should have a generic name and a specific epithet.
(d) Scientific names are in Latin and should be italized.
Show Answer
Answer : a
Hints & Solutions
(a) The first word denoting the genus starts with a capital letter while the specific epithet starts with a small letter. In plant nomenclature (ICBN), tautonyms are not valid i.e. generic name and specific name should not be same in plants. E.g. Mangifera mangifera But tautonyms are valid for animal nomenclature (ICZN-International Code of Zoological Nomenclature) e.g. & Naja naja (Indian cobra), Rattus rattus (Rat).
