pardalis

Pardalis is a Latin adjective meaning spotted or speckled, and it is used in biological nomenclature as a species epithet in many genera. It is not a taxonomic rank or a standalone taxon, but a descriptor applied to the species name to indicate a patterned appearance.

The epithet pardalis appears across diverse groups, including mammals, reptiles, birds, insects, and invertebrates. In each case, the term typically refers to a distinctive spotted or mottled pattern on coat, skin, scales, or shells. Because it serves as a descriptive label rather than a reflection of evolutionary relationships, species bearing the epithet pardalis can be only distantly related.

As with other species epithets, pardalis can recur in different genera. This means that the same epithet may be found in several unrelated species, each with its own binomial name. To identify a particular organism unambiguously, the full scientific name—genus and species—must be cited.

Taxonomic practice may also involve revisions that relocate a species to a different genus, which can alter the genus part of the name while leaving the epithet pardalis in some cases. In summary, pardalis denotes a spotted pattern and is used descriptively rather than as an indicator of close taxonomic affiliation.