cathedralis

Cathedralis is a Latin adjectival form meaning "of the cathedral" or "cathedral-related." In scientific naming, it is commonly used as a species epithet in zoology, botany, mycology, and microbiology. The epithet is typically chosen to indicate an association with a cathedral—such as discovery near a cathedral, origin from a place or institution bearing a cathedral’s name, or a feature of the organism that reminded the describers of cathedral architecture.

As with other Latin adjectives used in binomial nomenclature, cathedralis must agree in gender and number with the genus of the species. This means the form may change to fit the grammatical rules of Latin for the particular genus, though the stem remains recognizable across occurrences.

Cathedralis does not denote a rank or a standalone taxon; rather, it is part of a two-part name that identifies a species within a genus. Because it is a descriptive epithet rather than a descriptor of rank, its precise meaning is contextual, tied to the original description of each species.

In practice, researchers encountering a species name ending in cathedralis should consult the original taxonomic publication or databases such as IPNI, ITIS, or NCBI Taxonomy to determine the exact organism and the rationale behind the epithet. The term illustrates how Latin adjectives are employed to convey contextual information about a species within the broader framework of biological nomenclature.