In scientific literature the name of an organism is composed of two parts: its genus name (always capitalized) and a species modifier (known as the "epithet"). An example is Homo sapiens sapiens, the name for the human species (Latin for "man wise wise") which belongs to the genus Homo.

in the classification of living organisms, a genus (plural genera) is a grouping having one or more related and morphologically similar species. The most common definition of species, the basic unit of biological classification, is a group of closely related organisms which are capable of interbreeding, and which are reproductively isolated from other groups of organisms.