caudatus

Caudatus is a Latin adjective meaning “having a tail” or “tailed.” In scientific nomenclature, it is often used as a species epithet or cultivar name to indicate a tail-like feature or a resemblance to a tail.

In Latin, cauda means “tail.” The forms caudatus (masculine), caudata (feminine), and caudatum (neuter) are declined to agree with the gender of the genus. When used in binomial or trinomial names, the epithet must match the genus gender.

In taxonomy, caudatus appears across diverse groups, including animals, plants, and fungi. It typically signals a trait such as a caudal fin, tail-like appendage, or another elongated, tail-shaped structure. The epithet does not imply a direct biological relationship between taxa sharing it.

Because Latin epithets are reused, many species and cultivars bear the term caudatus, caudata, or caudatum independent of their broader classification; the descriptor aids descriptive identification rather than indicating relatedness.

Related terms include caudate and caudal, used in anatomy and biology to refer to tail-like structures.