Bacteria and Viruses 113 



Recommendation 27i. Orthography and Gender of Names 



RECOMMENDATION 27i. Names of taxa and specific epithets are often com- 

 pound words, sometimes formed from Latin stems, more often from Greek 

 stems, sometimes (less correctly) from stems from two different languages. 

 Such compound words formed from the same stems may differ only in the 

 connecting vowels. 



(a) In the formation of compound names of taxa and of specific epithets 

 from the Latin, the preferred connecting vowel is -i-. Such compound 

 names differing in spelling only by having the connecting vowel -i- or 

 -o- are to be regarded as orthographic variants. Names of taxa which 

 are such orthographic variants and based upon different types are 

 to be regarded as homonyms. The spelling used for the name of each 

 taxon or for each specific epithet should be that used by the author 

 when the compound was validly published. 



(b) The combining vowel in Greek compounds in which the first com- 

 ponent is a noun (substantive) or adjective is usually -o-. It may be 

 omitted if the second component begins with a vowel or when the 

 first component ends in y, e.g. glycychylus. Another combining vowel 

 may be used if there is good Greek precedent, e.g., as in Coryne- 

 bacterium. Names of taxa or words used as specific epithets which are 

 Greek compounds and differ only in the presence or absence of the 

 combining vowel -o-, or have another combining vowel, are to be 

 regarded as orthographic variants. If the names are based upon 

 different types they are to be regarded as homonyms. The correct 

 spelling is that used by the author of the name in its initial and valid 

 publication. 



(c) Compound words derived from two or more languages (nomina 

 hybrida) are to be regarded as orthographic variants if they difFer 

 only in the combining vowel. If two compounds which are names 

 of taxa have different nomenclatural types they are to be regarded 

 as homonyms. The spelling first used by an author in the valid publi- 

 cation of a name should govern. 



ANNOTATIONS 



Recommendation 27i (a). The Latins, in contrast to the Greeks, 

 rarely joined stems to form new words. Wlien stems were so joined, 

 the connecting vowel was usually -i-, as in atricapillus (black haired) , 

 albico7niis (^vhite haired) , aquifolius (with pointed leaf) , in modern 

 Latin moniliformis (in form of a necklace) . New words were more 

 commonly formed by use of numerous prefixes and suffixes. 



In the modern Latin of biology there are numerous instances in 

 which the connecting vowel between Latin stems is -o-. This is par- 

 ticularly true of words in which the first component has to do with 

 color. The Latins occasionally coined such words as albogiknis 

 (whitish yellow) in which both components are adjectives, the first 

 component of the compound having an ad\erbial connotation 



