In taxonomy, what does 'author citation' refer to?

In taxonomy, what does 'author citation' refer to?

• A. The person who scientifically named the organism
• B. The year the organism was discovered
• C. The geographic origin
• D. The common name

Answer: (A)

In taxonomy, author citation is the name of the scientist who first validly described and named the species. This attribution—often shown after the scientific name (and sometimes the year of publication)—points to who authored the original description and helps with locating the source and establishing naming priority. It’s about who gave the formal name, not about where the organism was found, nor the common name, nor simply the year of discovery. For example, Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 indicates Linnaeus described the species in 1758. If the species has since been moved to a different genus, the author’s name is placed in parentheses to show that change, as in Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758).

In taxonomy, author citation is the name of the scientist who first validly described and named the species. This attribution—often shown after the scientific name (and sometimes the year of publication)—points to who authored the original description and helps with locating the source and establishing naming priority. It’s about who gave the formal name, not about where the organism was found, nor the common name, nor simply the year of discovery. For example, Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 indicates Linnaeus described the species in 1758. If the species has since been moved to a different genus, the author’s name is placed in parentheses to show that change, as in Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758).