punctatus

Punctatus is a Latin adjective used in the scientific naming of organisms as a species epithet. It appears across a wide range of life forms, including plants, animals, and fungi, and does not refer to a single taxon.

The word derives from punctatus, from punctum meaning a point or dot, indicating a dotted or punctate surface patterning. In Latin, punctatus is masculine; punctata feminine; punctatum neuter; thus the epithet must agree in gender with the genus name.

Usage and meaning: When used as a specific epithet, punctatus typically signals a spotted, speckled, or dot-marked appearance, either on the organism as a whole or on a notable feature such as leaves, petals, scales, or shell. Because it is a descriptive epithet, many unrelated taxa may share punctatus; the same name appearing in different genera is not unusual.

Taxonomic considerations: The epithet is not unique to a single species and can be reused in different higher taxa. The same epithet can form part of variety or form names (for example punctata, punctatum) in botanical or zoological classifications. As with all scientific names, punctatus is governed by the relevant nomenclatural codes (the botanical code for plants, algae, and fungi; the zoological code for animals).