vittatum

Vittatum is a Latin adjective used in biological nomenclature to indicate a banded or striped pattern. It is the neuter form of vittatus and appears as a specific epithet in many species across plants, animals, and fungi. The epithet does not denote a single taxon; rather, it describes a recurring visual trait that has arisen in unrelated lineages.

Etymology and grammar: from Latin vittatus meaning striped or ribboned; the neuter form vittatum corresponds to neuter genus names and agrees in gender with the genus when forming a binomial name.

Taxonomic usage: as with other descriptive epithets, vittatum is appended to a genus name to yield a species name. Because it is descriptive, the same epithet can appear in many different genera, reflecting analogous patterning rather than shared ancestry.

Notes: in zoological and botanical nomenclature, the epithet must agree with the gender of the genus; thus vittatum is typical for neuter genera, while vittatus and vittata are used with masculine and feminine genera, respectively. The epithet is often descriptive rather than taxonomically diagnostic, and it may occur across a wide range of taxonomic groups where striped or banded coloration is present.

See also: Vittatus, Vittata, Epithet (taxonomy), Descriptive nomenclature.