Pigmentary tumors have been known since the antiquity, being called by CELSIUS “melas”, due to their black color. In 1806, LAENNEC introduced the term “melanosis” for the pigmentary skin disorder, also making a first classification: encapsulated melanosis, infiltrative melanosis and diffuse melanosis. In 1837, CARSWELL proposed the term melanoma for malignant pigmentary tumors, and in 1864 VIRCHOW classified melanomas into three types, depending on their macroscopic structure: simple melanoma, characterized by tumor cell agglomerations situated in the connective tissue; melanocarcinoma, characterized by alveolar or cord-like proliferations; melanosarcoma, characterized by a fusocellular structure. VIRCHOW described the structure of mixed melanic and amelanotic tumors. In 1969, CLARK et al. published a classification of pigmentary tumors, estimating the invasion level of melanoma depending on the degree of involvement of anatomo-physiological structures of the skin. One year later, in 1970, BRESLOW proposed the assessment of the malignancy grade by measuring the maximal tumor invasion thickness. The melanocytic system is formed by melanotic cells of epithelioid and dendritic types, disseminated among the cells of the epidermal basal layer. These are precursors of melanoblasts that migrate from embryonic neural crests up to the skin; the nervous (neuroectodermal) origin of the melanocytic system is unanimously accepted For the purpose of uniform terminology in human and veterinary oncology, we present the corresponding terms used for the various forms of melanogenic tumors, according to GOURREAU et al. (1995