The most well-known living things have common names. For example, you are probably familiar with the small, red insects dotted with little black spots. You might call them 'ladybugs' or 'ladybird beetles.' But did you know there are actually many different species of these insects? Just using common names may make it difficult for scientists to differentiate between them, so every species is given a unique scientific name.

Binomial nomenclature is the formal naming system for living things that all scientists use. It gives every species a two-part scientific name. For example, a ladybug found in the United States goes by the fancy name of Harmonia axyridis.

The first part of a scientific name, like Harmonia, is called the genus. A genus is typically the name for a small group of closely related organisms. The second part of a scientific name, axyridis in this example, is the specific epithet. It is used to identify a particular species as separate from others belonging to the same genus. Together, the genus plus the specific epithet is the full scientific name for an organism.

Rules for writing scientific names:

1. The initial letter of the generic name of an organism should be written in capital letter.
2. The specific name should be written in small letters.
3. The scientific names should be underlined separately when writing on paper and should be italicized while typing.

   E.g. Homo sapiens (Electronic) Homo sapiens (when handwritten)

   Common name	Generic name	Specific name
   Man	Homo	sapiens
   Cat	Felis	catus
   Mustard	Brassica	juncea
   Pea	Pisum	sativum
   Maize	Zea	mays

Significance of Binomial nomenclature

1. The binomial name of the organism is universal through the world. A single species has different common name all over the world but scientific name helps that species to individualize.
2. The nomenclature shows evolutionary relationship among various species of the same genus
3. It shows the relationship between different varieties of the genus.
4. Scientific names are based on characters and classification. So, binomial nomenclature makes the study of organism scientific and practical.
5. Scientific name can be changed if necessary.

Importance of classification

1. It provides support in favor of evolution.
2. It takes a short period for the better understanding of organism.
3. It suggests our ways of giving scientific names to the organisms.
4. It provides us information regarding the natural relationship of organisms.
5. It solves the problem of putting the organisms in their proper position.