Nomen nudum

The skull of Little Foot, sometimes referred to under the nomen nudum Australopithecus prometheus[1]

In taxonomy, a nomen nudum ('naked name'; plural nomina nuda) is a designation[2] which looks exactly like a scientific name of an organism, and may have originally been intended to be one, but it has not been published with an adequate description. This makes it a "bare" or "naked" name, which cannot be accepted as it stands.[3] A largely equivalent but much less frequently used term is nomen tantum ("name only"). Sometimes, "nomina nuda" is erroneously considered a synonym for the term "unavailable names". However, not all unavailable names are nomina nuda.[4]

  1. ^ Berger, Lee R.; Hawks, John (14 December 2018). "Australopithecus prometheus is a nomen nudum". American Journal of Biological Anthropology. 168 (2): 383–387. doi:10.1002/ajpa.23743. ISSN 2692-7691. PMID 30552667. S2CID 54582416. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  2. ^ Turland, N. (2013). The Code Decoded: A user's guide to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. Vol. Regnum Vegetabile Volume 155. Koeltz Scientific Books. ISBN 978-3-87429-433-1.
  3. ^ "What is a nomen nudum?". International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  4. ^ Caetano, João Marcus Vale; Delcourt, Rafael & Ponciano, Luiza Corral Martins de Oliveira (March 2023). "A taxon with no name: 'Ubirajara jubatus' (Saurischia: Compsognathidae) is an unavailable name and has no nomenclatural relevance". Zootaxa. 5254 (3): 443–446. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5254.3.10. PMID 37044710. S2CID 257500264.