Type material is a taxonomic term that ties formal names to specimens that can be used for identification and description of a new taxonomic entity.
Reference: Nucleic Acids Res. 2015 Jan;43(Database issue):D1086-98. doi: 10.1093/nar/gku1127.
INSDC will automatically populate this qualifier from the NCBI taxonomy database to flag sequences of form type in the INSDC databases (ENA/GenBank/DDBJ).
The controlled vocabulary used for various types can be found in the below table.
| Type Name | Synonym | Nomenclatures* | Comment |
| type material | BZ | basic type material – this is default type (except for Archaea and Bacteria) | |
| type strain | P | deposited in at least two different culture collections – default type for Archaea and Bacteria | |
| reference material | BZ | non-type material designated for reference purposes (except for Archaea and Bacteria) | |
| reference strain | P | non-type material designated for reference purposes (for Archaea and Bacteria) | |
| neotype strain | P | replacement culture for a type that has been lost | |
| holotype | BZ | single name-bearing type specimen | |
| isotype | B | duplicate specimen of the holotype | |
| paratype | BZ | other specimens designated in the original type series | |
| neotype | BZ | single name-bearing specimen designated when holotype is lost | |
| epitype | B | other specimen designated in subsequent type series | |
| syntype | BZ | one of a name-bearing series of type specimens | |
| isosyntype | B | duplicate specimen of a syntype | |
| lectotype | BZ | syntype subsequently designated as the single name-bearing type | |
| paralectotype | Z | syntype not subsequently designated as lectotypes | |
| hapantotype | Z | protist assemblage collectively designated as holotype | |
| allotype | Z | designated type specimen of opposite sex to the holotype | |
| isoparatype | B | duplicate specimen of a paratype | |
| isoneotype | B | duplicate specimen of a neotype | |
| isolectotype | B | duplicate specimen of a lectotype | |
| isoepitype | B | duplicate specimen of an epitype | |
| culture from reference | BZ | living eukaryotic culture derived from reference material | |
| culture from type material | ex-type | BZ | living eukaryotic culture derived from type material |
| culture from paratype | ex-paratype | BZ | living eukaryotic culture derived from paratype |
| culture from neotype | ex-neotype | BZ | living eukaryotic culture derived from neotype |
| culture from lectotype | ex-lectotype | BZ | living eukaryotic culture derived from lectotype |
| culture from hapantotype | Z | living eukaryotic culture derived from hapantotype | |
| culture from isosyntype | ex-isosyntype | B | living eukaryotic culture derived from isosyntype |
| culture from isotype | ex-isotype | B | living eukaryotic culture derived from isotype |
| culture from isoparatype | ex-isoparatype | B | living eukaryotic culture derived from isoparatype |
| culture from isoneotype | ex-isoneotype | B | living eukaryotic culture derived from isoneotype |
| culture from isolectotype | ex-isolectotype | B | living eukaryotic culture derived from isolectotype |
| culture from holotype | ex-holotype | BZ | living eukaryotic culture derived from holotype |
| culture from epitype | ex-epitype | B | living eukaryotic culture derived from epitype |
| culture from syntype | ex-syntype | BZ | living eukaryotic culture derived from syntype |
| culture from isoepitype | ex-isoepitype | B | living eukaryotic culture derived from isoepitype |
| pathotype strain | P | strain designated as the type for the associated pathovar |
*NOTE: Nomenclature letter coding is explained in the following table:
B International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants
P International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes
V International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses
Z The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature