tropicalis

tropicalis is a Latin adjectival epithet used in the scientific names of living organisms to signal a connection with tropical regions. It does not denote a genus or a singular taxon; rather, it appears as part of a species name within binomial nomenclature in both zoology and botany.

The form is derived from tropicus, meaning 'of the tropics,' with the Latin suffix -is or -alis used to harmonize with the genus name. Its use is governed by the respective codes of nomenclature—the ICZN for animals and the ICN for plants, fungi, and algae—which require that epithets follow grammatical rules and agree in gender with the genus.

In practice, tropicalis indicates that the described species was collected in tropical regions or is primarily associated with tropical habitats such as rainforests, savannas, coral reefs, or other warm-weather ecosystems. The Tropics roughly lie between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, though distributions can extend beyond these lines due to range shifts and human activity. The epithet is widely used across many taxonomic groups, from plants to insects to vertebrates. As with other epithets, tropicalis provides geographic context rather than any taxonomic or evolutionary information.