noun

• Each of a set of type specimens of equal status, upon which the description and name of a new species is based.

  Compare with holotype

  ‘Of the syntypes on which he based the species, only two are currently known to be extant.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘As noted above, it closely resembles the syntype pygidium of E. acadicus, and is tentatively assigned to that species.’
  • ‘One of the syntypes of Archidemsus macnicoli was found at an unknown site in Tayside and the other was found in the Carmyllie quarry complex near Arbroath.’
  • ‘A syntype arises when the original author cited more than one specimen, but either designated none, or more than one, as type; the term is lectosyntype when a syntype is later designated as type.’
  • ‘Today's taxonomists have to make a decision as to which of the two specimens found among the syntypes should keep the original name and which gets a ‘new’ species name.’