holotype

American  

[hol-uh-tahyp, hoh-luh-] / ˈhɒl əˌtaɪp, ˈhoʊ lə- /

noun

Biology.

1. the type specimen used in the original description of a species.

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holotype British  

/ ˈhɒləˌtaɪp, ˌhɒləˈtɪpɪk /

noun

1. biology another name for type specimen

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holotype Scientific  

/ hŏl′ə-tīp′,hō′lə- /

1. The single specimen or illustration designated as the type for naming a species or subspecies or used as the basis for naming a species or subspecies when no type has been selected.

2. Also called type species

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• holotypic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of holotype

First recorded in 1895–1900; holo- + -type

Example Sentences

While modern taxonomy may also rely on supporting materials such as photographs or genetic information, the holotype remains the primary reference point.

From Science Daily • Jan. 6, 2026

But designating a neotype "usually relies on other people being able to determine whether or not you can find a specimen of the same species from the same locality" as the holotype, said Seago.

From Salon • Jul. 7, 2023

But in Brazil, 90% of holotype fossils described by foreign researchers were housed in foreign collections, which goes against Brazilian law.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 1, 2022

According to the new proposal, Sue, the Field Museum’s nearly complete T. rex, is now the holotype — the specimen that anchors a species name — of Tyrannosaurus imperator.

From New York Times • Feb. 28, 2022

Justification of Synonymy.—The holotype of Osteocephalus taurinus is a female having a snout-vent length of 103.9 mm.

From A Synopsis of Neotropical Hylid Frogs, Genus Osteocephalus by Duellman, William E.