mckinleyi

McKinleyi is a Latinized species epithet used in the scientific names of various organisms to honor individuals bearing the surname McKinley. It is not a standalone taxon; rather, it serves as the second part of a binomial name that identifies a species within a particular genus.

Etymology and use: The ending -i indicates that the epithet honors a male individual with the surname McKinley. The exact person honored can vary from one taxon to another, as different describers may assign the name to different figures associated with McKinley or events connected to the name. Because the epithet is reused across multiple genera, there is no single species known simply as mckinleyi; rather, many distinct species in different genera carry this epithet.

Taxonomic conventions: In scientific naming, the genus name is capitalized and the species epithet is lowercase, and together they are usually written in italics. The epithet must agree with the grammatical gender of the genus and is chosen by the taxonomist who first describes the species. The same epithet can appear in multiple, unrelated genera, reflecting commemorative naming practices rather than a shared lineage.

Scope: The epithet mckinleyi appears across diverse taxonomic groups, including plants and animals, illustrating how researchers honor individuals by linking a surname to a species in separate lineages. Each occurrence represents a unique taxon with its own diagnostic characteristics and distribution.

See also: McKinley (disambiguation), List of species named after people, Taxonomic nomenclature.