Wikipedia:Naming conventions (fauna)
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This page is a naming conventions guideline for Wikipedia, reflecting how authors of this encyclopedia address certain issues. This guideline is intended to help you improve Wikipedia content. Feel free to update this page as needed, but please use the discussion page to propose major changes. |
The naming conventions that apply to fauna have been extensively discussed and continue to be discussed on the mailing list, and the following guidelines have broad consensus approval.
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[edit] Article title
If there is a common name in English, use that (following Wikipedia:Naming conventions (common names) and Wikipedia:Naming conventions (use English)).
Use the singular form, following Wikipedia:Naming conventions (plurals).
- Beetle (not "beetles").
If the article is about an animal belonging to a group where Wikipedia editors have agreed on a standard for choosing a common name, follow that standard:
- Editors involved with Wikipedia:WikiProject Birds have agreed to use the official recommendations of ornithological societies, for example Peregrine Falcon (not duck hawk, Falco peregrinus, etc.)
- In this case, beware of informal common names. Many species have multiple common names; however, only one of these is usually recognised as formally correct. For example, the Southern Boobook is known in various parts of the world as "ruru", "mopoke", "morepork", "boobook", "New Zealand Owl", "Tasmanian Spotted Owl", and so on. Create redirects from these colloquial names, but place the main entry under the official common name — in this case, "Southern Boobook".
Don't use common names when it isn't clear what the name refers to.
- The name sardine is used for many different species of small oily fishes; the only appropriate thing to do is to write a disambiguation page under that name.
However, when there's a clear core meaning for the common name, with other meanings by analogy, then it's OK to use the common name for the "true" group:
- Many elongated fishes are known as "eels", but "true eels" are in the order Anguilliformes, so it's appropriate to place them at the article name "eel", with the others listed at eel (disambiguation).
If there is no common name, or if the only common name would be taken by a higher-ranked group, or if the only common name is needed for another article or a disambiguation page, use the scientific name:
- Drosophila melanogaster has no common name.
- Monocentris japonica is commonly known as the "pinecone fish", but so are all the other species in the family Monocentridae, so that name is not available.
- Fish in Sciaenidae are known as "drums", but drum is used for the musical instrument. (In cases like this, the article can be placed either at the scientific name or at a disambiguated common name like drum (fish).)
If there is a choice of scientific names, use the lowest-ranked taxon which the article covers.
- Xenoturbella (not Xenoturbellidae or Xenoturbellida).
Except that for extinct genera which contain only a single described species, name the article after the genus.
- Nodocephalosaurus (not Nodocephalosaurus kirtlandensis)
[edit] Redirects
Make redirects from alternative common names:
Make redirects from scientific names:
- Ninox novaeseelandiae → Southern Boobook
- Coleoptera → Beetle
- Nodocephalosaurus kirtlandensis → Nodocephalosaurus
There may be several scientific names that need to be redirected:
- Both Phascolarctos cinereus and Phascolarctos → Koala (since there is only one species in the genus)
- Both Xenoturbellida and Xenoturbellidae → Xenoturbella (since there is only one described genus in the phylum)
Make redirects from alternative capitalizations:
Make redirects from English forms of scientific names:
[edit] Article text
The scientific name of an organism or group should appear in the opening line of the entry. Alternative names should be mentioned in the text where applicable, with bold type in the opening line of the entry if they are in wide use, or elsewhere in the article (with or without the bold type) if they are less-used. This is usually a matter for individual judgement.
- The Southern Boobook (Ninox novaeseelandiae), also called the mopoke, is a small brown owl found mainly in New Zealand ...
- Grunters or tigerperches are fishes in the family Terapontidae ...
- The rove beetles are a large family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra ...
[edit] Capitalization of common names of species
Insofar as there is any consensus among Wikipedia editors about capitalization of common names of species, it is that each WikiProject can decide on its own rules for capitalization. In general, Wikipedia follows academic practice in each group of organisms. For example, ornithological societies have established official lists of common names, and these are almost always capitalized.
The current practice is, roughly speaking:
- Birds are always capitalized (see Wikipedia:WikiProject Birds).
- Mammals are mostly capitalized (see Wikipedia:WikiProject Mammals).
- Fishes are mostly in lower case (see Wikipedia:WikiProject Fishes).
- Reptiles and amphibians are a mixture.
- Arthropods are mostly in lower case (see Wikipedia:WikiProject Arthropods), except that Lepidoptera and Odonata are often capitalized.
- Plants are often capitalized.
- Most other organisms are in lower case.
In a hyphenated name, the part after the hyphen is not capitalised. For example, Black-footed Ferret, Red-winged Blackbird, Wilson's Storm-petrel. If in doubt, check with a field guide or official list.
When you create a new entry, whatever the capitalisation chosen, always create a redirect in the alternative case. For example, name the entry Bald Eagle but create a redirect to it from bald eagle or vice versa. Creating the redirect is not optional, but will not be needed for single word species names. (See Wikipedia:Redirect.) There are some rare instances where lower case and capitalised versions have different meanings, such as barn owl/Barn Owl, and, in particular, wood warbler/Wood Warbler. Suitable links or disambiguation should then be used.
[edit] Capitalization of common names of groups
The common name of a group of species, or an individual creature of indeterminate species, is not capitalised.
[edit] Capitalization of scientific names
Orders, families and other taxa above genus level are written with an initial capital and in roman (not italic) text.
- Bats belong to the order Chiroptera; rats and mice are members of the family Muridae and the order Rodentia.
However, there is generally an English form for a member of the group, and this should not be capitalized:
- Members of the order Chiroptera are "chiropterans"; members of the family Muridae are "murids" and members of the order Rodentia are "rodents".
The names of genera are always italicised and capitalised.
The second part of a binomial species name is never capitalised (even when derived from a proper noun), always italicised, and is always preceded by either the genus name or an abbreviation of it if the full version has occurred previously:
- The Southern Boobook is Ninox novaeseelandiae or N. novaeseelandiae.
The same applies to the third part of a trinomial name.
- The Arctic Wolf is Canis lupus arctos or C. l. arctos.
