Although it is much better to have a suite of specimens to confirm that the new taxon really is distinctive, new species commonly are based on a single specimen.  In the case of fossil vertebrates, it is often only a small part of a single individual.

There are an assortment of shells, especially fossils and deep-sea forms, known from a single individual, but this limits their availability for collectors.  Hopefully, but not always, the specimen is very good.  For example, I have a specimen of Lyrischapa from the Eocene of South Carolina that preserves a mold of all but the back of the shell.  It is both different from and outside the geographic range of described species.  Thus, it has promise as the unique holotype for a new species.  On the other hand, there are several species names based on a single bad specimen.  These often are nomina dubia.

    Dr. David Campbell
    Old Seashells
    46860 Hilton Dr #1113
    Lexington Park MD 20653 USA
    [log in to unmask]

That is Uncle Joe, taken in the masonic regalia of a Grand Exalted Periwinkle of the Mystic Order of Whelks-P.G. Wodehouse, Romance at Droigate Spa




________________________________________________________________
Sent via the WebMail system at mail.davidson.alumlink.com