In the
scientific name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both
botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
and
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
. In zoology, alternate terms such as original combination or protonym are sometimes used instead.
Bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classificat ...
uses a similar term, basonym, spelled without an ''i''.
Although "basionym" and "protonym" are often used interchangeably, they have slightly different technical definitions. A basionym is the ''correct'' spelling of the original name (according to the applicable nomenclature rules), while a protonym is the ''original'' spelling of the original name.
These are typically the same, but in rare cases may differ.
Use in botany
The term "basionym" is used in botany only for the circumstances where a previous name exists with a useful description, and the ''
International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' does not require a full description with the new name. A basionym must therefore be
legitimate. Basionyms are regulated by the code's articles 6.10, 7.3, 41, and others.
When a current name has a basionym, the author or authors of the basionym are included in parentheses at the start of the author citation. If a basionym is later found to be illegitimate, it becomes a
replaced synonym and the current name's author citation must be changed so that the basionym authors do not appear.
''Combinatio nova''
The basionym of the name ''
Picea abies
''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.
It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very close ...
'' (the Norway spruce) is ''Pinus abies''. The species was originally named ''Pinus abies'' by
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
and so the author citation of the basionym is simply "L." Later on, botanist
Gustav Karl Wilhelm Hermann Karsten decided this species should not be grouped in the same genus (''Pinus'') as the
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
s, so he transferred it to the genus ''
Picea'' (the spruces). The new name ''Picea abies'' is ''
combinatio nova'', a new combination (abbreviated ''comb. nov.''). With author citation, the current name is "''Picea abies'' (L.) Karst."
''Status novus''
In 1964, the subfamily name Pomoideae, which had been in use for the group within family
Rosaceae
Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera.
The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are ''Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbus ...
that have
pome fruit like apples, was no longer acceptable under the code of nomenclature because it is not based on a genus name. Claude Weber did not consider the family name Malaceae
Small to be taxonomically appropriate, so he created the name
Maloideae
The Maloideae C.Weber was the apple subfamily, a grouping used by some taxonomists within the rose family, Rosaceae. Recent molecular phylogenetic evidence has shown that the traditional Spiraeoideae and Amygdaloideae form part of the same c ...
at the rank of subfamily, referring to the original description of the family, and using the same
type.
[ Page 164, footnote 1] This change of rank from family to subfamily is an example of ''status novus'' (abbreviated ''stat. nov.''), also called a "name at new rank".
See also
*
Glossary of scientific naming
This is a list of terms and symbols used in scientific names for organisms, and in describing the names. For proper parts of the names themselves, see List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names. Note that many of the abbreviat ...
References
{{Reflist
Biological nomenclature
Botanical nomenclature
Zoological nomenclature