Verrucosus

Verrucosus is a Latin adjective used in the scientific names of living organisms. In taxonomic nomenclature, verrucosus, meaning "warty" or "full of warts," describes a rough or tuberculated surface characteristic, such as a shell with small protrusions or leaves with wart-like outgrowths. The word is widely used as a specific epithet in zoological and botanical names and is not itself a taxon. The epithet has gender agreements: verrucosus (masculine), verrucosa (feminine), and verrucosum (neuter), matching the gender of the genus.

In practice, verrucosus appears across diverse lineages, including mollusks, arthropods, reptiles, and plants. The use of the epithet signals a morphological observation rather than a strictly diagnostic feature of a clade. As with other Latin epithets, the name is governed by international nomenclature codes and must be used in combination with a valid genus name; its application is subject to priority and publication requirements.

Because many species bear the epithet verrucosus, it is important to consult the full binomial and the original description to understand the context of the trait noted by the author who named the species. Epithet usage is common and can reflect historical descriptive practices rather than current phylogenetic significance.