cornuta

Cornuta is a Latin-derived epithet used in biological nomenclature to indicate horn-like features in a species. The word stems from cornuta, the feminine form of cornutus, meaning horned. In taxonomy, adjectives must agree in gender with the genus, so cornuta is used with feminine genera or with feminine grammatical endings in species names.

In practice, cornuta appears across a range of taxa and does not refer to a single group. It is a descriptive descriptor rather than a taxonomic rank, applied to organisms that bear horn-shaped structures such as projections on a shell or carapace, branch-like extensions, or other horn-like appendages. The epithet can describe visible external morphology or distinctive features noted by the describer at the time of naming.

Because Latin grammar governs its use, cornuta is one of several gender-specific forms derived from cornutus, with cornutus and cornutum used for masculine and neuter genera, respectively. Researchers should be aware that the presence of the epithet cornuta in a name signals a horned appearance but does not by itself imply relatedness among the taxa bearing the name.

See also: Latin adjectives in species epithets; cornutus and cornutum.