-ae
This is was originally just the Latin first-declension genitive singular ending, used to indicate that the new species was "of" something referred to by a Latin word that would end in "-a" in the nominative singular (almost always feminine).
A genitive ending might mean that the new species wasassociated with someone or something, or it might beparasitic on something. The best known usage has been to indicate that the new species isnamed after a person, place or thing.
Since the names of most modern people, organizations, etc. don't have Latin endings, it has become the practice to add the Latin genitive ending to the end of the whole word. Thus a species named after Mr. Smith would besmithi orsmithii, and for Ms. Smith it would besmithae. That makes this a suffix in its own right rather than merely a Latin case ending.
FromLatin-ae (nominative plural).
-ae
SeeCategory:English plurals in -ae with singular in -a &in -e
Declined forms of-us(suffix forming adjectives).
-ae
Declined forms of-a(suffix forming masculine agent nouns or feminine nouns). Originally restricted to the dative singular due to being descended from-āi, the dative singular ending for Proto-Italicfirst declension nouns, but eventually overtook the genitive singular and the nominative and vocative plurals, displacing-ās, which was relegated to the accusative plural.
-ae (non-lemma form of verb-forming suffix)