What does holotype mean?
A holotype is the particular specimen formally designated as the name-bearing type of a species or subspecies in biological nomenclature. Taxonomists use it as the permanent reference point for a scientific name: when the name is applied, the holotype is the standard against which an organism is identified. A holotype may be preserved in a museum or herbarium, and it is often accompanied by information about where it was collected, who collected it, and when it was found. Publications describing a new species commonly include an image or detailed drawing of the holotype, but such an illustration is not itself the holotype. The designation normally remains attached to the original specimen even if it is lost, and it is distinct from other duplicate or subsequently designated type specimens. The word is consequently specialized rather than general-purpose, but it captures an important principle of formal biological naming: a name must have an identifiable reference.
nounThe single specimen designated as the name-bearing type of a species or subspecies in zoological or botanical nomenclature. Its characteristics are the standard reference for the application of the scientific name.
- The single specimen designated as the name-bearing type of a species or subspecies, used as the authoritative reference for the application of its scientific name.
"The museum's specimen was formally designated as the holotype of the newly described frog."
"The description of the beetle included detailed illustrations of its holotype."
"A researcher compared the fossil with the museum's holotype and concluded that they represented the same species."
The plural is used when referring to the name-bearing type specimens of several taxa.
"The database records the holotypes and their collection details for each recognized species."
A holotype is a species' one-of-a-kind reference point: the specimen that helps decide what its scientific name officially means.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does holotype come from?
The word combines the combining form holo-, derived from Greek holos meaning “whole” or “entire,” with type. Type ultimately comes from Latin typus, itself borrowed from Greek typos, meaning “model” or “pattern.” In taxonomy, the prefix distinguishes the single original type specimen from additional specimens gathered with it.
Related word forms
How holotype is actually used
This is primarily a technical term in biological taxonomy and nomenclatural procedure. It refers to one individual specimen, not merely a general example or illustration of a species.
Easily confused with holotype
A holotype is the single original specimen that anchors a name, whereas an isotype is an additional specimen of the same species collected at the same time and place as the holotype.