unguiculatus

Unguiculatus is a Latin adjectival epithet used in the scientific names of many organisms. It broadly means "having a claw" or "clawed" and is employed to indicate a notable morphological feature observed in a species. The epithet is masculine; in genera with feminine or neuter gender, related forms such as unguiculata or unguiculatum may be used to agree with the genus gender.

Etymology: The term derives from Latin unguis or ungula, meaning nail or claw, combined with a suffix that yields a participial meaning "bearing" or "having".

Taxonomic use: As a descriptive epithet, unguiculatus appears across various animal groups, especially in mammals and birds, to denote the presence of claw-like structures or pronounced claws. It is not a taxon in itself but a descriptive part of the binomial name for individual species.

Related forms: The masculine form has feminine and neuter equivalents, such as unguiculata or unguiculatum, which appear in other species names. A widely known related epithet is Vigna unguiculata, the cowpea, illustrating how gendered endings align with the genus.