If I wish to refer to, say, an Owl in the more generic form as a member of the biological order Strigiformes, what is the correct modification of the apparently plural word into a singular form?
For instance:
Upon entering the forest, Jonothan was immediately assaulted by an angry [singular strigiformes].
Or:
The Manduca Sexta is a [singular lepidoptera] which feeds on a [singular solanaceae] during the larval phase, normally a Tobacco plant.
Answer
It depends:
One of the strigiformes is a strigiform. Or an owl.
One of the lepidoptera is a lepidopter:
- 1881 Elwes tr. De S. Pinto’s How I crossed Afr. I. v. 120 ― This gigantic lepidopter, when young, feeds upon the grasses.
One of the solanaceae is a solanacean. Or a nightshade.
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