Previous Year Question
Which of the following is against the rules of ICBN?
A.
A. Handwritten scientific names should be underlined.
B.
B. Every species should have a generic name and a specific epithet.
C.
C. Scientific names are in Latin and should be italicised.
D.
D. Generic and specific names should be written starting with small letters.
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
The generic name must begin with a capital letter, whereas the specific epithet begins with a small letter. Therefore, writing both components with initial small letters is against the rules of biological nomenclature.
When printed, the generic name and specific epithet are italicised. When handwritten, the two words are underlined separately.