nodularis

Nodularis is a Latin adjective used in scientific naming to indicate a nodular or knobby feature. In taxonomy, it is frequently employed as a species or subspecies epithet in plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms. It signals that the organism has nodules, tubercles, or rounded protrusions that are notable for identification. Because nodularis is descriptive rather than taxon-specific, it can occur in diverse, unrelated organisms that share similar nodular characteristics.

Etymology: from nodulus, a small knot; the suffix -aris meaning pertaining to.

Usage: The epithet appears across kingdoms and can describe various nodular structures such as nodules on leaves or stems in plants, nodular carapaces or bodies in arthropods, or nodulous fruiting bodies in fungi. In microbial and mycological naming, it may refer to colony morphology or surface texture. In some medical contexts, nodularis is used descriptively within disease or lesion names to denote the presence of nodules.

Limitations: No single taxon is defined by the epithet alone; it requires the genus for a full species name.

See also: nodulus, tubercle, knot.