scaber

Scaber is a Latin adjective meaning rough or scabby. In scientific naming, scaber is used as an epithet in the binomial names of many species across animals and plants to denote a rough, ridged, or textured surface. Because it functions as a descriptive descriptor rather than a distinct taxon, there is no taxonomic group that is universally known as “Scaber” in the way that a genus or family is.

Taxonomic usage typically places scaber within species names as scaber, scabra, or scabrum, to agree with the gender of the genus. The exact meaning of the epithet depends on context: it may refer to a rough shell or carapace, a jagged leaf edge, or another textured feature highlighted by the describer. The epithet is reused across diverse groups, so it does not point to any single lineage or diagnostic trait shared by all scaber-bearing species.

In modern taxonomy, the epithet scaber is one among many descriptive terms used to convey a visible characteristic in a species’ morphology. Because Latin adjectives are inflected for gender, the form can appear as scaber (masculine), scabra (feminine), or scabrum (neuter) to match the genus. Outside scholarly contexts, scaber is not a common English term and is primarily encountered within latinized scientific names rather than as a standalone name or widely used descriptor.

See also: scab, scabrous, taxonomic epithet.