Carolinii

Carolinii is a Latinized epithet used in the scientific names of some organisms. In taxonomy, it functions as a patronym—an epithet chosen to honor a person or family associated with the species’ discovery, description, or study. The form carolinii is one of several patronymic endings that appear in zoological and botanical nomenclature.

Etymology and formation: The suffix -ii typically derives from a masculine given name or surname in Latin, indicating “of Carolinus” or “of the Carolinus family.” In some cases the honoree may be a person named Carolina or a surname such as Carolini; the exact genitive formation follows the rules of the relevant nomenclatural code (ICZN for animals, ICN for plants) and Latin grammatical conventions. Some honorees may instead bear endings such as -ae, -orum, or -arum depending on gender and number.

Use: The epithet appears in both zoological and botanical names; it does not reflect any attribute of the organism but its connection to a person. It is not indicative of geography or morphology, and the same epithet can appear across different taxa when honoring different individuals with the same or similar names.

Context and limitations: Because carolinii can be applied to many taxa, there is no single organism associated with the name. Identifying the honoree or origin requires consulting the original publication describing the species and the etymology section or dedication in that work.

See also: taxonomic nomenclature, patronym, Latin grammar in scientific names.