<p>I’m talking about my experiences with an animal in my essay which has no common name. Would it be wise to refer to it by its Latin name?</p>
<p>I’d go with the genus… based on my personal experience with research using the Manduca sexta. If I were to refer to it in an essay, I would say Manduca (although the moth does have a common name).</p>
<p>But, it depends on the animal. Read what others say about that animal in articles or preferable casual stuff.</p>
<p>I was thinking of </p>
<p>“Nothobranchius kafuensis, one of the African annual killifish.” But yes only the genus would work as well too.</p>
<p>This fish, after a bit of poking around does have a common name, but it is never used and no better than the Latin name.</p>