Binomial Nomenclature

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Under the rules of binomial nomenclature, how should the scientific name of the mango, written as Mangifera indica, be correctly presented in print?

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Binomial nomenclature follows the universal conventions proposed by Carolus Linnaeus and detailed in NCERT Class 11, Chapter 1 (The Living World). A scientific name has two components: the generic name and the specific epithet. The first letter of the genus name is always capitalised, while the specific epithet always begins with a small letter, as in Mangifera indica. When printed, both words appear in italics; when handwritten, each word is underlined separately to mark its Latinised origin. The option stating both words are capitalised and underlined together is wrong because only the genus is capitalised and the words are underlined individually, not jointly. The choice making the species capitalised and genus lowercase reverses the correct rule. Writing both words entirely in lowercase ignores the mandatory capitalisation of the genus. A simple cross-check against any standard binomial, such as Homo sapiens or Panthera leo, confirms the pattern of a capitalised genus followed by a lowercase specific epithet, both rendered in italic type.

Binomial Nomenclature

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