Definition: In biology and paleontology, a holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is the single type specimen upon which the description and name of a new species is based.
Etymology and Origin: The term ‘holotype’ derives from the Greek words ‘holos’, meaning ‘whole’, and ‘typos’, meaning ‘type’ or ‘model’. The concept of a holotype as a central reference specimen in taxonomy was established in the 20th century as part of the standardization of scientific naming and classification processes.
