Scientific names

The scientific name of an organism consists of a genus and a species.

If writing the name by hand, underline the genus and species (instead of using italics). Higher taxonomic levels (eg, order, class, family etc) are not italicised, but their first letter is capitalised (eg, Delphinidae).

Common names

Common names do not require capitals (eg, kauri, flying fish) unless named after a person (eg, Thompson’s gazelle) or a place (eg, Norfolk pine, North Island saddleback). Note that only the place or person’s name is capitalised, not the organism.

Subspecies

When there are subspecies, there will be three parts to a scientific name (eg, Philesturnus carunculatus rufusater). For plants, subspecies are written using the abbreviation subsp., which is not italicised, eg, Avicennia marina subsp. australasica (mangrove or manawa). Varieties are written similarly, eg, Kunzea ericoides var. microflora (prostrate kanuka).

First mention

On first mention (eg, first time in the abstract, and first time in the introduction), provide the genus and species and then the common name (if it exists), eg, Tursiops truncatus, the bottlenosed dolphin.

Subsequent mentions

• Use either the scientific name or the common name, but be consistent.
• The genus can be abbreviated to its initial followed by a full stop (eg, Tursiops truncatus becomes T. truncatus).
• For animals, a subspecies can have an abbreviated genus and species, but not subspecies name (eg, Philesturnus carunculatus rufusater becomes P. c. rufusater).
• For plants with subspecies, only the genus is abbreviated (eg, A. marina subsp. australasica).
• If you have more than one species from the same genus, you can use the abbreviated genus for all species after writing it out in full for the first species you mention.
• If you have more than one species from different genera, but with the same initial, you’ll have to write the genus out in full every time to avoid confusing your reader with which genus is which! 

Tursiops truncatus. [Photograph]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. http://quest.eb.com/#/search/118_814217/1/118_814217/cite