sulcatum

Sulcatum is a Latin neuter adjective commonly used in scientific naming to describe a grooved or furrowed feature in an organism. The term derives from sulcus, meaning a groove, and sulcatum can be translated as furrowed, grooved, or channelled. In taxonomy, sulcatum appears as a specific epithet in various groups, including plants, fungi, and animals, to highlight a characteristic surface or structure.

As a descriptive epithet, sulcatum is applied to traits such as grooves on leaves, ridges on seeds, or furrowed surfaces on shells or exoskeletons. Because it is a Latin adjective, it must agree with the gender of the genus name. Consequently, sulcatum is used with neuter genera, while sulcatus (masculine) or sulcata (feminine) would be used with corresponding gendered genera.

The use of sulcatum is descriptive rather than taxonomic in itself; it does not designate a single taxon but indicates a morphology that may be shared by multiple species across different lineages. Its employment reflects the broader practice of binomial nomenclature, in which epithets describe notable features of the organism and are governed by the relevant nomenclature codes.

See also: sulcatum-related morphological descriptors, sulcate (describing grooved surfaces), sulcatus and sulcata (gendered forms of the same root in Latin nomenclature).