middendorffi

Middendorffi is a Latinized patronymic epithet used in the scientific names of various organisms to honor a person with the surname Middendorff. In zoological and botanical nomenclature, middendorffi appears as the specific epithet in a binomial name and is written in lowercase, typically following the genus name.

The form middendorffi is the masculine genitive ending in Latin, indicating that the honoree is male. If the honoree were female, the corresponding epithet would usually take a feminine form such as middendorffae, following standard Latin grammar for patronyms in taxonomic names. The exact identity of the person honored by a middendorffi epithet can differ across taxa; multiple individuals bearing a related surname may be commemorated in different genera and species.

Origins and usage: The surname Middendorff is of Germanic origin, and the epithet middendorffi reflects a long-standing practice in taxonomy of naming species after researchers, explorers, patrons, or other notable individuals. The use of middendorffi does not denote a single taxon; rather, it appears in multiple, independent scientific names across diverse groups.

In summary, middendorffi is a conventional, gender-aware Latin patronym used in species names to honor individuals with the surname Middendorff, illustrating how taxonomic nomenclature encodes historical acknowledgments within binomial names. See also: patronyms in taxonomy, binomial nomenclature.