Carterae

Carterae is a Latin species epithet that appears in the binomial names of a variety of organisms across the tree of life. The ending –ae is commonly used in taxonomic Latin to indicate a name in honor of a person, and in this context it typically pays tribute to a scientist or naturalist bearing the surname Carter. As such, organisms bearing the epithet “carterae” are not taxonomically related; rather, they share only the commemorative element of their scientific names.

The epithet is found in the names of species from several biological groups. In botany, for example, the orchid Cyrtopodium carterae was first described in the early 20th century, while the grass species Bouteloua carterae was named later in the century. In zoology, the beetle species Hemicrepidius carterae and the freshwater snail Goniodiscus carterae both carry the epithet, as does the marine gastropod Trochus carterae. In mycology, the fungal species Amanita carterae has been recorded from temperate forests.

The repeated use of “carterae” reflects both the breadth of scientific exploration in the period when many new species were being described and the tradition of honouring contributors to the field. The original descriptions often note the specific Carter honored, such as the American botanist Alfred Winsor Carter, the British malacologist W. A. L. Carter, or the Canadian naturalist Ernest Carter, among others.

Because the epithet is not taxonomically informative beyond its commemorative function, taxonomists and ecologists normally focus on the genus and higher‑level classification for biological inference. Nonetheless, the grouping of species named “carterae” can be of interest to historians of science or to researchers compiling nomenclatural databases or bibliographies of species described by particular scientists.

In summary, carterae is a linguistic device in biological nomenclature that groups together unrelated species under a shared homage to individuals named Carter, illustrating both the personal dimension of scientific naming and the conventions of Latinized taxonomic language.