rotundatum

Rotundatum is a Latin adjective meaning rounded, spherical, or globe-like. In scientific nomenclature, rotundatum appears as a species epithet in zoological and botanical names to indicate a rounded or circular characteristic of the described taxon. The form is neuter singular; corresponding masculine and feminine forms are rotundus and rotunda. Because adjectives in Latin species names must agree in gender with the genus, rotundatum is used with neuter-named genera.

In practice, the epithet signals morphology such as a rounded shell, body contour, leaf, or other structure. It is employed across a range of taxa and can accompany other descriptors that name shape, size, color, or texture. Rotundatum is thus a descriptive element rather than a taxonomic rank.

The usage adheres to the rules of the relevant codes of nomenclature, including the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) for animals and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN) for plants and related groups. When updating or reclassifying taxa, the epithet rotundatum is treated as part of the binomial or trinomial name and is not itself a standalone taxon.

Related Latin gendered forms include rotundus (masculine) and rotunda (feminine), as well as other shape-related epithets such as rotundifolium. The term’s usage is primarily linguistic and descriptive rather than taxonomic beyond indicating a round morphology within a given genus.