remotus

Remotus is a Latin adjective that appears in biological nomenclature, most often as a species epithet and less commonly as a genus name. In taxonomic names, the epithet remotus (masculine), remota (feminine), or remotum (neuter) is used to indicate that the organism comes from a distant or remote locality or exhibits a habit or feature regarded as unusual within its group. The term is descriptive rather than classificatory.

Etymology and form: Remotus derives from the Latin remotus, meaning distant or removed. Its grammatical forms must agree with the gender of the generic name: remotus for masculine genera, remota for feminine, and remotum for neuter.

Taxonomic usage: Remotus is not a formal taxon by itself but a descriptive element within binomials or higher taxa. Because many species have broad distributions, remotus is one of several epithets that convey locality or rarity rather than rank or evolutionary relationship. A name containing remotus generally reflects the circumstance of collection or a biogeographic note about the specimen, rather than implying any specific taxonomic affiliation.

Linguistic notes: The root appears across languages in taxonomy and can be combined with different genus names. The feminine and neuter forms remota and remotum are used to accommodate the gender of the genus in the same way as other Latin adjectives.

See also: Latin in biological nomenclature; taxonomic epithets.

References: For precise usage, consult Latin dictionaries and the International Codes of Nomenclature governing plants, fungi, and animals.