The second part of the binomial name corresponds to which taxonomic unit?

The second part of the binomial name corresponds to which taxonomic unit?

• A. Species
• B. Genus
• C. Family
• D. Order

Answer: (A)

In binomial nomenclature, the two parts of a scientific name work together to identify an organism. The first part names the genus, and the second part names the species within that genus. This second word is the species epithet, which, when combined with the genus, uniquely identifies a species. For example, in Homo sapiens, Homo is the genus and sapiens is the species epithet, distinguishing this species within the genus Homo. Higher groupings like family or order are not used in the two-part name, so the second part points to the species level.

In binomial nomenclature, the two parts of a scientific name work together to identify an organism. The first part names the genus, and the second part names the species within that genus. This second word is the species epithet, which, when combined with the genus, uniquely identifies a species. For example, in Homo sapiens, Homo is the genus and sapiens is the species epithet, distinguishing this species within the genus Homo. Higher groupings like family or order are not used in the two-part name, so the second part points to the species level.