Holotype

A holotype is the single specimen designated in a species description as the name-bearing reference for that species. It anchors the scientific name under the applicable rules of nomenclature.

Type specimen: A specimen designated to anchor the application of a scientific name under nomenclatural rules. A holotype is one specific kind of type specimen.
Syntype: Any of multiple specimens cited when a name is published without a designated holotype. Unlike a holotype, a syntype belongs to a set of original name-bearing specimens.
Type locality: The geographic place from which a name-bearing type specimen was collected. A holotype’s collection locality records where the described species was found.
Nomenclatural type: The name-bearing reference that fixes the application of a scientific name under nomenclatural rules. The holotype makes a species name objectively anchored rather than defined by a description alone.
Scientific nomenclature: The rule-governed system for assigning and using scientific names for organisms. Nomenclatural codes define how a holotype anchors a species name.
Lectotype: A specimen selected later from original material to serve as a name-bearing type. A lectotype is chosen after publication when no holotype was designated or survives.
Type catalog: A curated inventory describing type specimens held in a collection. Catalogs let researchers locate and verify holotypes held by institutions.
Taxonomic synonymy: The treatment of different scientific names as referring to the same taxon. Comparisons with holotypes can show that separately named species share one taxon.
Taxonomy: The practice of identifying, describing, naming, and classifying organisms. Taxonomists designate holotypes when formally describing species.
Neotype: A specimen designated as a new name-bearing type when original type material is missing or inadequate. A neotype replaces the anchoring role only under specified circumstances.

Linked from 14 pages