abyssinicum

Abyssinicum is a Latin adjective used in zoological and botanical nomenclature to indicate origin from Abyssinia, the historical name for what is now Ethiopia. In binomial names the epithet abyssinicum functions as the second part of the species name and is written in lowercase. The form abyssinicum is the neuter singular ending; the corresponding masculine and feminine forms are abyssinicus and abyssinica, used to agree with the gender of the genus name.

Origin and usage: The epithet reflects either the type locality where the species was first collected or otherwise associated with Ethiopia. As with other regionally derived epithets, abyssinicum can appear across diverse taxa, including plants, insects, birds, and mammals. Since Abyssinia refers to a historical region, the use of abyssinicum is partly historical and modern authors may prefer more precise locality names when available.

Taxonomic notes: Latin epithets are not adjectives of description; they function as identifiers within the species name. The use of abyssinicum does not by itself imply any particular morphological trait beyond geographic association. It is distinct from related epithets such as abyssinica (feminine) or abyssinicus (masculine), which are chosen to agree with genus gender. In many databases, epithets are treated as proper names and are not translated.

See also: Abyssinia, Ethiopian taxonomy, Latin binomials.