Which one of the following organisms is scientifically correctly named, correctly printed according to the international Rules of Nomenclature and correctly described?
- Musca domestica – the common house lizard, a reptile
- Plasmodium falciparum – a protozoan pathogen causing the most serious type of malaria.
- Felis tigris – the Indian tiger, well protected in Gir forests.
- E. coli – full name Entamoeba coli, a commonly occurring bacterium in human intestine.
Answer
(2) Plasmodium falciparum – a protozoan pathogen causing the most serious type of malaria.
Solution
As per NCERT, a scientific name has two parts (generic name + specific epithet), is printed in italics, the generic name starts with a capital letter and the specific epithet with a small letter.
(1) Musca domestica is the common housefly, an insect – not a lizard.
(2) Plasmodium falciparum is correctly named and printed; it is a protozoan that causes malignant (most serious) malaria. ⇒ Correct.
(3) The tiger is Panthera tigris, not Felis tigris; Gir forest is known for the Asiatic lion, not the tiger.
(4) E. coli stands for Escherichia coli; Entamoeba coli is a protozoan.
Answer: (2)