HOW BACTERIA ARE NAMED AND IDENTIFIED 



19 



word, or a new word compounded from Latin or Greek stems, or it may be de- 

 rived from some other language; but whatever its origin, when used as a generic 

 name, it must he regarded as a Latin noun. If it is a word not found in classic 

 Latin, it is still to be treated as Latin. Some examples of generic names in bac- 

 teriology which are Latin or which are formed from Latin roots are: Bacillus 

 (masculine) a small rod; Cristispira (feminine) a crested spiral; Lactobacillus 

 (masculine) a milk small rod; Sarcina (feminine) a packet or bundle. Many 

 others are words from the Greek or are compounded from Greek roots, the words 

 transliterated into Latin letters and with endings modified in conformity with 

 Latin usage; some words of Greek origin are Micrococcus (masculine) a small 

 grain (sphere); Bacterium (neuter) a small rod; Clostridium (neuter) a small 

 spindle; Corijnebacterium (neuter) clubbed small rod; Actinomyces (masculine) 

 ray fungus. Other generic names have been given in honor of persons or places as 

 Beggiatoa (feminine), Borrelia (feminine), Eherthella (feminine), Pasteurella 

 (feminine), Erwinia (feminine), Zopfius (masculine). 



4. The second word in the scientific name of a species is a specific epithet. It 

 is not capitalized (some authors capitalize species names derived from proper 

 nouns). The specific epithet may be: 



(a) An adjective modifying the noun and indicating by its ending agreement 

 with the generic name in gender, as Bacterium album (white Bacterium), Bacillus 

 albus (white Bacillus), Sarcina alba (white Sarcina), Eberthella dispar (different 

 Eberthella), Bacterium variabile (variable Bacterium) , Brucella melitensis (maltese 

 Brucella), Bacillus teres (rounded Bacillus), Bacillus graveolens (sweet-smelling 

 Bacillus). 



(b) An adjective in the form of the present participle of a verb, as Clostridium 

 dissolvens (the dissolving Clostridium, in the sense of the Clostridium which is 

 able to dissolve). Bacillus adhaerens (the adhering Bacillus), Acetobacter ascen- 

 dens (the climbing Acetobacter), Bacillus esterifix^ans (the ester-producing Bacil- 

 lus). The endings for present participles used as adjectives are the same for all 

 genders. The past participle is used occasionally, as in Pseudomonas aptata (the 

 adapted Pseudomonas), Spirillum attenuatum (the attenuated Spirillum). 



(c) A noun in the genitive (possessive) modifying the generic name. There is 

 no necessary agreement in gender or number. Examples, Clostridium welchii 



