Dear Paul,
 
The "species name" you refer to (= lower case letter), is indeed not
a name, but an adjective. This, by definition, modifies a name.
Therefore, it has to be together a name in order to make sense. For
example, there is no such thing as the species name "_muricatus_",
because it only refers to the quality of some entity which is not
defined. The species name then is _Chicoreus muricatus_ .
 
Best,
 
Robert
 
----------
Paul Monfils wrote:
|
| Actually, the species name per se is not a binomen.  The format
used
| to designate a particular species is a binomen, but that name is a
| construct formed by adding the species name (with a lower case
| letter) to the genus name (always capitalized).
|
| Paul M.