Guineense

Guineense is a Latin-derived species epithet used in biological nomenclature to denote organisms that are native to, or have a significant distribution in, the region historically known as Guinea in West Africa. The epithet is applied across a variety of taxa, including plants, insects, reptiles, and marine species. Examples include the tropical perennial plant Lonchocarpus guineensis, the freshwater fish Ctenopharyngodon guineensis, and the mammal Hystrix guineensis, the African porcupine species. Although the epithet is widely used, it does not by itself represent a taxonomic rank; it is a descriptor that accompanies a genus name to form a binomial scientific name according to the rules of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN) or the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN).

The name guineense indicates a geographical association rather than a morphological or genetic characteristic, and its use has helped bryologists and taxonomists to catalog species diversity within the Guinean biodiversity hotspot. In practice, taxonomists sometimes revise species that were originally assigned the epithet when new phylogenetic data suggest broader or different geographic ranges.

Because the epithet is tied to a specific locality, conservation assessments often reference it when discussing habitat requirements, distribution limits, and potential threats such as deforestation or climate change. Consequently, guineense-bearing species can serve as indicators of the ecological health of West African forest ecosystems, and their study contributes to broader efforts in biogeography and conservation biology.