lectotype

[ lek-tuh-tahyp ]

noun

, Biology.

1. a specimen designated as the type of a species or subspecies when no holotype was designated by the original author of the name.

Other Words From

• lec·to·typ·ic [lek-t, uh, -, tip, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lectotype¹

First recorded in 1905–10; from Greek lek(tós) “chosen” + type ( def ); logos ( def ), lection ( def )

Example Sentences

Stejneger's reference to MCZ 1910 as the type is considered unintentional and an inadequate designation of a lectotype.

From Project Gutenberg

Lectotype: a co-type chosen, subsequently to the original description, to take the place which in other cases a holotype occupies.

From Project Gutenberg

I incline to the view that a specimen so designated would at most be only a lectotype, unless it were a cotype.

From Project Gutenberg