Abstract:

Background & Aim: Domestic animals and wild relatives are important biological resources, which are crucial to the breeding of new breeds, germplasm innovation and wildlife protection. China has abundant and unique domestic breeds, and it is also one of the distribution of many wild relatives and the origin centers of domestic animal domestication. The confusion in the usage of Chinese and Latin names of domestic animals and wild relatives hinders the accurate identification of biological resources, affects the effective scientific research communication and science popularization, and easily causes the loss of important biological resources.

Methods: This paper searched through domestic and international relevant literature and websites, to investigate the research progress on the origin and history of domestication of domestic animals and the sources and use of names of domestic animals and their wild relatives in Chinese, English and Latin. Official documents such as the List of State Key Protected Wild Animals (2021), threatened species listed on China’s Red List (2021), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (2023) and other official documents were used.

Conclusion & Suggestions: This research leads to four principles: (1) The Latin names of domestic animals and wild relatives should fully consider their origin and domestication history. (2) The Chinese names of domestic animals and wild relatives should conform to the rules of taxonomy, and it is recommended to use the names of official documents or related monographs. (3) The Latin name of the offspring produced by the hybridization of species should be expressed by the Latin scientific name of the parent, and the order of the Latin name should be distinguished from the orthogonal or inverse cross. (4) International conventions, national laws and regulations, scientific reports and other official documents shall used first according to the context.

Key words: Domesticated animal, Wild relatives, Chinese name, Latin name, Name determination