In biology, a specimen or organism that differs from the original type specimen used to define a species, or in genetics, a type of chromosome or cell division.
From Greek 'hetero-' (different) and 'type' (exemplar/standard), used in taxonomy and genetics since the early 1900s.
Type specimens are like the 'golden standard'—the first example scientists use to define a species—so a heterotype is like having the cousin who's noticeably different, helping us understand how much variation exists within species.
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