mensuratus

Mensuratus is a Latin participial adjective used in scientific naming units, most notably as a species epithet in biological taxonomy. In taxonomy, the epithet mensuratus is attached to a genus name to form a binomial name that identifies a distinct species, though the epithet alone does not specify a single taxon because it has been applied to multiple, unrelated organisms across different genera.

Etymology and grammatical form derive from mensura, meaning measure or measurement. The masculine form mensuratus may appear in combination with masculine or neuter genera, while feminine forms such as mensurata and neuter forms like mensuratum exist to agree with the gender of the genus. This reflects standard Latin grammar used in binomial nomenclature.

Usage and interpretation in taxonomy are descriptive rather than taxon-defining. The epithet usually signals that a notable measured or proportional trait is present in the species, such as distinctive body proportions, limb lengths, or other quantifiable features, or it may reference a characteristic of the specimen collection or study. Because many unrelated species may share the epithet, mensuratus does not imply any familial or evolutionary relationship between them.

Limitations and caveats: mensuratus is not a genus, and there is no universal diagnostic character shared by all species bearing this epithet. To identify a specific species, the full binomial name and its taxonomic description must be consulted. In scholarly writing, the epithet is treated as part of a formal scientific name and italicized in print.

See also: Latin species epithet, binomial nomenclature, taxonomic nomenclature.