noun
- Plural of cotype; specimens designated as types of a species in taxonomy, used as reference standards when the original holotype is lost or ambiguous.
Usage: technical; biology; taxonomy
Examples
- The museum carefully preserved the cotypes of the newly described insect species.
- When the holotype was destroyed in a fire, scientists relied on the cotypes to verify the species identification.
- Taxonomists examined multiple cotypes to establish the diagnostic features of the organism.
- The cotypes serve as backup reference materials for future taxonomic studies.