polytypic species
Quick Summary
A polytypic species is a biological species that is represented by several distinct populations, or subspecies. These subspecies are geographically separated groups within a species that are genetically distinguishable and capable of interbreeding if their ranges overlap.12
For example, the golden whistler bird (Pachycephala pectoralis) is considered a polytypic species with 73 recognized subspecies, each inhabiting a different island in the southwest Pacific. This concept is important in taxonomy, where subspecies are named subdivisions of a species that rank immediately below it. The term "polytypic" itself indicates that a separate description and type specimen are needed for each distinct population within the species.32
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