Dear Paul,
 
the species name in most cases is an adjective, but sometimes
a substantive. Adjectives have to put in conformity with the
grammatical genus-name, substantives not.
 
cervus is substantiv (Cypraea)
pullus is substantiv (Tricolia is feminimum). pullus is substantiv
and you can't change the ending into -a. So you have to
say Tricolia pullus and not Tricola pulla as often success.
olearius is substantiv (Ranella - is femininum or neutrum). the
species name is a latin substantiv. Therefore Ranella olearius.
 
but the grammatical genus name are feminina.
 
Ending with - stoma are neutrum. As Chilostoma cingulatum
Nouns are not used as adjectives.
ok.
Helmut from Innsbruck
 
 
 
----------
> Andy,
> Your welcome message to Wolfgang (which I would like to reiterate -
> Welcome to the group Wolfgang!) reminded me of a narrow taxonomic
> question that has been recurring to me for some time, and which
> hopefully might have a dull answer lurking in the pages of some
> obscure ICZN manual.  Generally, the gender suffix on a species name
> (typically an adjective) matches that of the genus name (the noun it
> modifies).  However, in many cases that is not true, for example:
> Cypraea cervus, Cypraea ovum, Pterygia conus, Phalium pila, Conus
> granum, Conus terebra, Marginella prunum, Modulus tectum, Natica
> vitellus.  I have noticed that in many cases where the two endings do
> not match in gender (including the examples above), the specific name
> is not actually an adjective, but rather a second noun used as an
> adjective.  (We do this all the time in english - bicycle rack,
> telephone pole, coffee cup, shell collection.)  So, this leads me to
> suspect there must be some rule governing this situation, whereby a
> noun used as an adjective retains its own gender, rather than
> matching the gender of the primary noun.  SO - my question is - is
> there?
> Regards,
> Paul M.
> Rhode Island
>