holotype

This term is a highly specialized technical designation used exclusively in biological taxonomy. It refers to the specific individual specimen upon which the description and name of a new species are based. While other specimens may be collected, the holotype is the unique, primary reference point for the species' identity.

Because a holotype is by definition a single, unique specimen, it is often stored in a museum or herbarium under strict preservation protocols. It differs from a paratype, which is any of the other specimens used in the original description, or a neotype, which is a specimen designated to replace a lost or destroyed holotype.