seriatus

Seriatus is a Latin adjective used in biological nomenclature as a specific epithet in the scientific names of many organisms. It is not a taxon itself; rather, seriatus appears in numerous binomials across different genera and kingdoms, functioning as the second element of a species name.

Etymology: Seriatus derives from Latin series or seriate, meaning arranged in a line or in a series. In taxonomy, the epithet often, though not universally, conveys a pattern, structure, or arrangement observed in the organism, such as lined markings, orderly rows of features, or a sequential characteristic; the precise implication depends on the taxon and the original description.

Usage: Because seriatus is an epithet used in many unrelated taxa, there is no single species associated with the term. To identify a particular taxon, one must refer to the full binomial name (genus + seriatus) and the accompanying taxonomic literature. The epithet appears in various groups, including animals and plants, and occasionally in other kingdoms such as fungi or algae, depending on naming practices in those groups.

Context: The use of seriatus is governed by the same nomenclature rules that apply to all Latin epithets, under codes such as the ICZN for animals and the ICN for algae, fungi, and plants.

See also: binomial nomenclature; Latin in scientific naming; taxonomic epithet.