Question

Identify the correct way to write the scientific name of mango.
a. Mangifera Indica
b. mangifera indica
c. Mangifera indica
d. M.Indica

Answer 1

According to binomial nomenclature, each organism's name has two components- the generic name and the specific epithet. The generic name always starts with a capital letter while that of subspecies and species with a small letter. The name should always be written in a way to indicate their Latin origin.

Complete answer:
The scientific name of mango is written as follows-
- In this name, Mangifera indicates the genus while indica is a particular species or a specific epithet.
- According to the universal rules of nomenclature, biological names are generally in Latin and written in italics. They are derived from Latin or Latinised regardless of their origin.
- In a biological name, the genus represents the first word while the second component denotes the specific epithet.
- Both the words in a biological name, when handwritten, are separately underlined or printed in italics to indicate their Latin origin.
- The first word denoting the genus starts with a capital letter while the specific epithet starts with a small letter.
- So, for the illustration, the scientific name of mango is correctly written as Mangifera indica.
- After the specific epithet name of the author appears.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C).

Note: In order to facilitate the study, several scientists have established procedures to assign a scientific name to each known organism. For plants, scientific names are kept on decided principles and criteria, which are available in the International Code for Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN). The scientific name ensures each plant has only one name.