SCIENTIFIC NAME

The internationally recognized Latin name of an animal or plant species. The scientific name consists of two parts, genus and species, followed by the describer (author) of the species. The scientific names (excluding the author's names) are always printed in Italics. The genus name is always capitalized, while the specific name is not capitalized. For example, the scientific name of the honey bee is Apis mellifera L. The L. is an abbreviation for Linnaeus (see also: Common name).