noun
- a specimen collected from the same locality as the original type specimen of a species
Usage: biology; taxonomy
Examples
- The museum acquired a topotype of the newly described beetle species.
- Researchers collected topotypes from the original site to verify the species identification.
- The topotype specimens showed variation from the holotype but were clearly the same species.
- Having topotypes available helps taxonomists understand the natural variation within the species.
- The field team returned to collect topotypes from the type locality in Costa Rica.