International Code of Zoological Nomenclature

The internationally adopted rules for naming animal species and other zoological taxa. It governs how names are established, published, prioritized, and applied.

Zoological nomenclature: The system of naming and classifying animals using scientific names. The Code supplies the formal rules for this naming system.
Taxonomy: The science of identifying, describing, naming, and classifying organisms. The Code regulates naming, while taxonomic judgments determine which animal groups are recognized.
Carl Linnaeus: The Swedish naturalist who established influential systems for naming and classifying organisms. Linnaeus’s binomial practice shaped the naming conventions later regulated for animals.
Zoological synonymy: The relationship in which multiple available zoological names apply to the same taxon. The Code’s priority rules help determine which synonym is generally used.
Nomenclatural act: A formal action that establishes, changes, or otherwise affects a scientific name under a nomenclature code. The Code defines which acts establish or alter animal names.
Binomial nomenclature: A naming system in which each species receives a two-part name consisting of genus and specific epithet. The Code regulates the form and use of animal species names in this system.
Taxon: A named group of organisms recognized in a classification at any rank. The Code’s rules apply to names assigned to zoological taxa.
Strickland Code: A set of zoological nomenclature rules proposed by a committee of the British Association in 1842. It was an early effort to standardize zoological names before the international Code.
Homonym (biology): One of two identical scientific names applied to different taxa within the same nomenclatural code. The Code sets rules for replacing or resolving conflicting animal names.
Taxonomic revision: A scholarly reassessment of the classification and boundaries of one or more taxa. Revisions can change accepted classifications while the Code governs the names applied.

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