Type specimen

Type specimen for Cimbrophlebia brooksi, a fossil scorpion fly. The red label denotes a type specimen.

A type specimen is part of the official definition of a type species. There is an International Code of Nomenclature, which makes the rules for naming species. It requires:

1. A detailed physical description of the new species, including illustration
2. A selection of a type specimen, which must be in a place where biologists can examine it
3. Publication in one of a short list of journals
4. The name must satisfy a set of rules

When a species is named it receives a binomial name. A type specimen is part of the formal description of the species. It is usually the best example which illustrates the points made in the description. That way, all binomial names are attached to type specimens, as well as descriptions.