hoehnelii

hoehnelii is a Latinized specific epithet used in biological nomenclature to honor a person with the surname Höhnel. In botanical and zoological naming, the ending -ii typically indicates that the species was named after a male individual. The epithet itself does not denote a single taxon; instead, it appears across many different genera where taxonomists have described new species and chosen to pay tribute to Höhnel or someone with that name.

Etymology and usage

The form hoehnelii reflects the convention of Latinizing names in species epithets. The umlaut in the surname Höhnel is commonly rendered as hoehnel in non-UTF systems, with the patronymic suffix -ii added to produce hoehnelii. This pattern is widespread in zoological and botanical nomenclature, though the exact derivation depends on the naming author and regional conventions.

Scope and interpretation

Because hoehnelii is a species epithet rather than a genus or higher taxon, it occurs in multiple, unrelated groups of organisms. Each occurrence combines the genus name with hoehnelii to form a unique species binomial, such as Genus hoehnelii. The same epithet can appear in plants, animals, fungi, or other groups, reflecting a common practice of honoring contributors to science.

Notes

The use of honorific epithets like hoehnelii underscores the historical practice of recognizing researchers and explorers in species descriptions. When encountering hoehnelii, the full taxonomic citation—genus, species epithet, author, and date—is required to identify the exact taxon and its provenance.