Dohrnii

Dohrnii is a Latinized species epithet used in biological nomenclature. It is not a taxon in itself but part of the scientific name of many species. The epithet dohrnii means “of Dohrn” and is used to honor the German zoologist Anton Dohrn (1834–1909), who founded the Stazione Zoologica in Naples and made influential contributions to marine biology and zoological research. In zoological and botanical naming, such patronymic epithets are common; dohrnii indicates the honor is to a male person with the surname Dohrn, while other formations such as dohrnae or dohrnorum are used for female honorees or multiple honorees, respectively.

Dohrnii appears across a range of taxa. The same epithet can be attached to species in different genera, families, and even kingdoms, reflecting independent naming by different researchers over time. Because it is a name element rather than a descriptive term, dohrnii conveys no particular biological trait of the species beyond the commemorative origin of the name.

Historical context and conventions: Anton Dohrn’s work in the late 19th century helped advance comparative zoology and marine research through the Naples station, and his legacy is reflected in the patronymic tradition of species epithets in taxonomy.

See also: patronymic naming in taxonomy; Latin grammar of species epithets. Further reading on Dohrn and the Stazione Zoologica provides historical background to this naming tradition.