Species description

A species description is a formal scientific account that establishes a species name and documents characteristics distinguishing it from other species.

Taxonomy: The science of naming, defining, and classifying organisms. Species descriptions supply the evidence and names used in taxonomic classification.
Holotype: The single specimen designated as the name-bearing type when a species is described. It is the primary physical reference fixed by many new species descriptions.
Phyllium regina: A leaf insect species described from specimens collected in Queensland, Australia. Its description demonstrates how modern species accounts combine morphology and genetic evidence.
Biodiversity: The variety of life across genes, species, and ecosystems. Each accepted description adds a documented species to accounts of life's diversity.
Binomial nomenclature: A naming system that gives each species a two-part Latinized name. A new description establishes the species name under this naming convention.
Paratype: A specimen cited in the original description that is not the name-bearing type. Additional specimens document variation alongside the designated holotype.
Homo naledi: An extinct hominin species known from fossils discovered in South Africa's Rising Star cave system. Its description shows how a fossil species is established from anatomical comparisons.
Species discovery: The recognition and documentation of organisms previously unknown as distinct species. A formal description converts a discovery into a named, citable taxon.
Type specimen: A preserved specimen or other name-bearing reference that anchors the application of a scientific name. The description links its proposed name to a name-bearing reference.
Morphology: The form and structural features of organisms. Descriptions use observable structures as characters for distinguishing species.

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