dregeanus

Dregeanus is a Latin adjectival epithet used in the scientific naming of organisms to honor a person with the surname Drege. In biological nomenclature, such epithets are appended to the genus name to form the species or subspecies designation and are Latinized to fit grammatical gender. The masculine form is dregeanus, the feminine dregeana, and the neuter dregeanum, with the ending chosen to agree with the gender of the genus.

Origin and usage: Dregeanus is part of the long-standing tradition of eponymy in taxonomy, where new species are named to recognize contributors to science, collectors, describers, or patrons. When dregeanus is used, it typically signals that the species was named in honor of someone with the surname Drege. The epithet can appear across different taxonomic groups, including both botany and zoology, and may be attached to many unrelated taxa.

Taxonomic considerations: The use of dregeanus does not imply any morphological or ecological similarity among the organisms bearing the epithet; it is a historical honorific. As with other eponymous epithets, the exact person commemorated and the rationale are often clarified in the original species description or subsequent taxonomic literature.

See also: Taxonomic nomenclature, Eponymy in taxonomy, Latin grammar in biological naming.

Notes: The precise person honored by a dregeanus epithet may vary by species, and in some cases multiple taxa may independently adopt an epithet derived from the same surname.