millepunctata

Millepunctata is a Latin epithet used in the scientific names of multiple, unrelated species across different groups of organisms. The term combines mille, meaning “thousand,” and punctata, meaning “spotted” or “dotted,” and it serves as a descriptive indicator rather than a reference to a single taxon. As a binomial component, millepunctata appears in species names within diverse genera, including insects, plants, fungi, and other organisms, reflecting a broad descriptive convention rather than a shared ancestry.

In practice, millepunctata typically signals that the species has a pattern of numerous small spots or speckles, particularly on wings, shells, leaves, or other surfaces where pigmentation is conspicuous. Because it is a descriptive epithet, many distantly related species across different families or orders may acquire this name independently, each pointing to a similar external characteristic rather than to a close evolutionary relationship.

The use of millepunctata illustrates common conventions in binomial nomenclature, where epithet choices often reference visible traits such as color, pattern, or form. It is one of several Latin descriptors that persist in modern taxonomy, even as scientific understanding of relationships among organisms evolves. For precise information about a specific species bearing the epithet millepunctata, consult the full scientific name, the describing author, and taxonomic revisions in the relevant group.